CSK batsman Ayush Mhatre plays a shot during the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Mumbai. | PTI
Mumbai Ranji cricketer Ayush Mhatre at 17 years and 278 days became the youngest player to make an IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings breaking the record of former left-handed Tamil Nadu batter Abhinav Mukund (18y, 139 days). He announced himself in style with 15-ball 32 runs in the first innings against a strong Mumbai Indians bowling line-up at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday. He hit four boundaries and two sixes in his brief entertaining knock.
On Saturday, Rajasthan Royals introduced 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi who made an impressive 34 including three sixes in IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants. Both Suryavanshi and Mhatre open the innings for India U-19 team. They had played a crucial role in India’s campaign till the final in the 2024 U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE. Suryavanshi was the youngest IPL debutant at 14 years and 23 days.
Now it was the turn of Mhatre to impress and he showed no signs of pressure. He caught the attention of everyone inside the house, with straight boundary off left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar and then followed it up with two sixes, a pick up shot over mid-wicket which would have made Rohit Sharma proud and later pull over square-leg.
In the next over, a straight shot over bowler Deepak Chahar’s head. He came up two more boundaries off Chahar with exquisite timing in the seventh over but miscued third one to be caught by Micthell Santner at long-on.
Local boy Mhatre made his IPL debut after he replaced Rahul Tripathi in the playing XI of CSK. Mhatre was recently included in the CSK squad as replacement for skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad who was ruled out of IPL due to injury. Incidentally, CSK has hit only five sixes inside the powerplays so far, two of which were hit by Mhatre on Sunday and two by Gaikwad in previous game against MI at Chepauk. Mhatre breezy innings ensured CSK collected impressive 48/1 in powerplays, an area they had been struggling to address.
Mhatre made his First Class and List A debut for Mumbai last year, and had an impressive first season scoring 504 runs in nine FC games and 458 runs in seven Vijay Hazare games at an impressive average of 65.4. He has already scored two hundreds each in FC and List A games.
