Injuries have disrupted Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2026 run, prompting the five-time champions to widen their mid-season search for batting depth. CSK have brought in Mumbai’s rising batting all-rounder Ayush Vartak for trials, with the move aimed at adding fresh options as the season wears on.
Quick facts
- Chennai Super Kings have called up Ayush Vartak for mid-season trials.
- Vartak is expected to arrive in Chennai on Monday night and join trials on Tuesday.
- CSK currently sit sixth in the IPL 2026 points table with six points from eight matches.
- Earlier setbacks include Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre (hamstring) and Rajasthan pacer Khaleel Ahmed (quadricep) being ruled out of IPL 2026.
- Vartak, 21, is from Vasai and plays for Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local cricket.
CSK’s season has been dented by multiple injury concerns. Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre has been sidelined with a hamstring issue, while Rajasthan pacer Khaleel Ahmed has also been ruled out after suffering a serious quadricep injury ahead of IPL 2026.
With results not quite falling into place, Chennai have managed six points from eight matches, leaving them positioned sixth in the table. The franchise’s call-up of Vartak is the latest attempt to stabilize their squad balance during the campaign.
Vartak, a 21-year-old from Vasai, has been a standout performer in Mumbai’s age-group and domestic pathways. He captained the Mumbai Under-23 team during the opening phase of the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (Under-23) last season.
So far, he has not played for the Mumbai senior side, but he has been part of the senior probables for the last couple of seasons. That exposure has kept him on the radar, even though his breakthrough has largely come through the age-group circuit and state competitions.
Domestic form that earned the call
One of Vartak’s biggest claims to attention has been his run-scoring ability at the state level. In the Men’s State A Trophy 2025, he struck 363 runs across six innings, including 26 sixes—his tally was the second-highest in India behind Mukul Choudhary.
Across that tournament, his innings included 132, 92 not out, and 75, and he finished as Mumbai’s leading run-getter. His overall impact with the bat gave him a reputation as a hitter who can change the tempo quickly, even while shouldering responsibility early in innings.
He also produced a heavy output in the 2024-25 Col CK Nayudu Trophy, where he amassed 770 runs in nine matches—the most for Mumbai. His scores in that campaign featured 192, 102, 105, 77, 59, and 54, a mix of big knocks and consistent contributions.
More recently, Vartak was awarded the MCA’s U-23 Outstanding Performance Award for the 2024 season. With that kind of momentum behind him, CSK’s mid-season trials offer him a chance to step up from domestic success to the pressures of IPL cricket.
