IPL 2025: CSK All Set to Sign India U-19 Star Ayush Mhatre as Replacement For Injured Ruturaj Gaikwad - Reports

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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reportedly finalize India under-19 star Ayush Mhatre as replacement for injured captain Ruturaj Gaikwad with the 17-year-old from Mumbai likely to link up with the team before IPL 2025 clash against Mumbai Indians this weekend.

CSK suffered a blow after their skipper Gaikwad was ruled out of the ongoing tournament with an elbow injury, which he sustained during the team's fixture against Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

While the Maharashtra captain featured for CSK in their next two games, the head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that Gaikwad will miss the remainder of the tournament due to a hairline fracture ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders clash last week,

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni took over the captaincy, but CSK was yet to find a replacement for Gaikwad. However, recent reports suggest the five-time champions, who need a boost to turnaround their campaign, may have finalized a deal to get in a cover.

According to a report in Times of India, the 17-year-old Mhatre, who had trials with the team earlier this month, will link up with the CSK squad ahead of the season's second El Clasico against Mumbai Indians on April 20.

An earlier report from TOI had stated that Mhatre had left BCCI's National Cricket Academy's zonal camp for Under-19 cricketers in Rajkot, to join the CSK camp in Chennai for trials. Mhatre, who featured in the U19 Asia Cup last year, was reportedly on the radar of CSK, but the franchise did not bid for the youngster.

Mhatre, an opening batter, has featured in nine first-class matches, amassing 504 runs, including two centuries and a fifty. In seven List A games, he has already scored 458 runs, with two hundreds. He also broke the world record set by Yashasvi Jaiswal in List A cricket by becoming the youngest to score 150 plus.

It will be interesting to see if CSK provide the youngster an opportunity right away as they currently sit at the foot of the table with one win in 6 games. CSK already has Mhatre's under-19 teammate Andre Siddharth and several other youngster in their squad, but none have featured so far.

According to another report in Sportstar, the team management is impressed with Mhatre thanks to his aggressive batting and hope to have the Mumbai rising talent joining the side by the end of the week.

"The team would have wanted him to join at the earliest, but there are a few formalities pending, and he can only join after a couple of days. So, hopefully, he will link up with the side ahead of the game against MI at the Wankhede Stadium," a source told Sportstar.