NEW DELHI: In a significant mid-season change, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have signed Mumbai’s rising star Ayush Mhatre as an injury replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2025 due to an elbow injury.
The development was first reported by TimesofIndia.com on Sunday night, with the IPL officially confirming the move on Monday.
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The 17-year-old Mhatre, a highly-rated right-handed batter, joins CSK for Rs 30 Lakh and is expected to link up with the squad ahead of their upcoming clash against Mumbai Indians on April 20.
Mhatre had gone unsold at the IPL mega auction in Jeddah but caught CSK’s eye during mid-season trials in Chepauk earlier this month. He was part of BCCI’s Under-19 zonal camp at the time and was flown in from Rajkot for the trials.

“Yes, we’ve called him for trials. He has impressed our talent scouts,” CSK MD & CEO Kasi Viswanathan had told TOI.
Mhatre had an impressive domestic season with 458 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and 471 runs in the Ranji Trophy, including three centuries across formats.
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The blow to CSK came when Gaikwad sustained an elbow injury during the match against Rajasthan Royals on March 30. Though he played two games after that, scoring 5 and 1, he never fully recovered. Head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed Gaikwad’s exit before their clash against KKR, prompting MS Dhoni to retake the captaincy reins.

Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have signed Karnataka’s Smaran Ravichandran as a replacement for Adam Zampa, who has also been ruled out due to injury. Ravichandran, a 23-year-old left-hander, also joins his team for Rs 30 Lakh.