Chennai Super Kings Suffer Major Setback, Ayush Mhatre Ruled Out of IPL 2026

Chennai Super Kings will definitely miss him, as he was their top performer for this season. The 24-year-old got an injury to his hamstring during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 18th April.

CSK face another injury setback as Ayush Mhatre is ruled out, making the playoff race tougher

While trying to get his second run quickly in that match, he ended up getting hurt. Already CSK had some injuries issues, with Khaleel Ahmed and Nathan Ellis also being unavailable for IPL 2026 due to various reasons.

This player's contribution was exceptional this season. He amassed 201 runs in just six matches with a great strike rate. Finding a replacement like him would be challenging for CSK.

🚨 BIG BLOW FOR CSK! 🚨
Ayush Mhatre — RULED OUT for 3 weeks with a hamstring tear 💀

201 runs in 6 innings this season 🔥
Strike rate of 177.88
CSK's leading run scorer

Coach Mike Hussey — "It looks pretty bad. He's going to be a big loss."
Already without Dhoni. Now without…

— Suresh N (@TheDugoutStats) April 21, 2026

Many feel that this type of injury could have been avoided as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad wanted a quick run in that particular match. After being injured, Mhatre still continued batting and running. Former cricketers such as Ravichandran Ashwin felt that this decision was not the right one.

In fact, Mhatre became a part of CSK due to a replacement. He was aggressive in his approach and assisted the top order significantly. Mhatre managed to score 240 runs in just 7 games.

Without him, CSK is facing a huge challenge now. Another important issue is that MS Dhoni cannot be completely relied upon on account of fitness problems. This leaves no doubt that CSK faces a challenging situation ahead.

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IPL 2026, MI VS CSK: Stadium Details, Pitch Report, Stats and Hourly Weather Report & Where to Watch The IPL 2026 33rdmatch betweenMumbai IndiansandChennai Super Kingswill be played on April 23rdat 7:30 PM at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbaithe pitch here is good for battingwith lots of runs and Longboudaries andstadium, teams usually like to chase because of dew, scores can go above 175, fast bowlers may get help early but later it becomes easy for batters, the weather will be warm with no rain expected, and you can watch the match live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar.

by Dwijesh April 21, 2026