Chennai Super Kings have suffered a major setback in IPL 2026 after Ayush Mhatre was confirmed to have torn his left hamstring, dealing a blow to a franchise that had recently been finding encouraging returns from the 18-year-old. The injury arrived at a particularly difficult moment for CSK, who have had a stop-start campaign so far and were beginning to lean on Mhatre for momentum in their batting.
Mhatre had entered the contest as an impact substitute for Gurjapneet Singh and was soon required to bat during CSK’s chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday night. He walked out in the second over when the innings was at the point of Sanju Samson’s dismissal, and for a short spell he looked sharp and fluent. The youngster struck 30 off 12 balls before he abruptly stopped running, after completing a couple and then clutching at his hamstring. He tossed his helmet aside and immediately appeared to be in distress, with Taifun Simsek, the team physiotherapist, rushing in to attend to him.
After an extended period of treatment on the field, Mhatre attempted to continue and moved with noticeable discomfort, almost hobbling as he and Ruturaj Gaikwad took a quick run following the next delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy. He managed to stay involved briefly, but the situation changed again with the following ball, which he struck through to extra cover. Heinrich Klaasen then held on to a sharp chance at that location, ending his cameo.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, CSK batting coach Mike Hussey described the injury as a hamstring tear and said the exact severity would be assessed through scans. “Obviously a hamstring tear. I don’t know how bad it is. I’m sure we’ll scan him probably tomorrow or the next day,” Hussey said. “It looks pretty bad, unfortunately. And he’s going to be a big, big loss because he’s been in really nice touch for us.”
This season, Mhatre had been CSK’s most effective batter so far. The 30 he made on Saturday lifted his IPL total to 201 runs, coming at a strike rate of 177.87. With Urvil Patel currently sitting out after scoring 68 runs last season at a strike rate of 212.50 across three appearances, Patel could be considered as a like-for-like option should CSK decide they want a specialist batter to replace Mhatre.
Hussey also pointed out that, while the team would be disappointed to lose a player in such fine form, it would open the door for others. “He’s an exciting young talent, but it’s going to give someone else an opportunity. So that’s exciting as well,” he said. “We’ve got some really good players that haven’t been able to get an opportunity. And so it’s going to be exciting for one of those guys.” He added that the timing of the opportunity, though unfortunate for Mhatre, could benefit someone else within the squad.
Until the medical scans are completed, CSK will not know the precise length of Mhatre’s absence. However, hamstring tears can keep players sidelined for as long as six months, depending on the grade of the injury.
Hussey was cautious about projecting a return date. “I mean, it’s hard to say. He didn’t last too many balls after the injury, Ayush. But yeah, it’s obviously going to affect his batting because he was hitting the ball so well and scoring boundaries almost at will. So it’s definitely going to have an effect for sure,” he said.
‘Shocking’ – Ashwin unhappy with how CSK handled Mhatre
Ravichandran Ashwin, a former CSK mainstay, expressed dissatisfaction with how the franchise managed Mhatre’s situation during the match and in the lead-up to it. On his YouTube show, Ashwin said he feared the injury could keep the young player out for a significant period.
“I hope he is back. But by the look of it, I fear he will be out for a while,” Ashwin said. He claimed that when Mhatre had come in to bat, he was wearing a strap on his knee and had been used as an impact substitute for two or three matches before the hamstring incident. Ashwin also questioned whether the issue could have been managed differently. “While coming into bat, he came with a strap on his knee. For two-three matches now, he has been playing as the impact sub. His injury has been a concern,” he said.
Ashwin suggested the injury might not have been simple cramping and raised concerns about asking the player to run between wickets after the discomfort became clear. “It couldn’t have been a cramp because he did not field at all. If he had cramps when not fielding, we have to look at his hydration. Okay, let’s assume it was an injury. The physios have gone out and checked him. He was limping, but you are asking him to play another ball and making him run between wickets,” Ashwin said.
He then criticised the decision-making further, saying he did not understand why Mhatre was not allowed to retire out if he was limping. “I couldn’t understand [that]. Should he not have retired out when he was limping? I don’t understand how they can handle him so carelessly. It was shocking,” Ashwin concluded.
On the match outcome, CSK fell short and lost by ten runs. With the defeat, they sit seventh in the points table, having managed two wins from their six games in IPL 2026.
