IPL 2025: Mumbai teenager Ayush Mhatre attends CSK's mid-season trials

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) called up young Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre for their selection trials at Chepauk on April 3. The move sparked speculations of his potential CSK call-up. Notably, the five-time champions had invited him for trials in November 2024 before the IPL mega auction too.

Mhatre travelled from Rajkot to Chennai after being called by CSK today. He was in the Saurashtra city as part of the BCCI's NCA's Zonal Camp for U19 cricketers. CSK's MD and CEO, Kasi Viswanathan, was asked about the move. He confirmed that the 17-year-old was indeed called for their trials and he was impressive.

"Yes, we’ve called him for trials. He has impressed our talent scouts," Kasi Viswanathan said as quoted by The Times of India.

As per the rules, a player can be included in an IPL squad midway through a season only in case of some player gets injured or is ruled out of the season due to other reasons. Ayush's trials led to many speculating if any of CSK's players suffered injuries.

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We’re not picking anybody, it’s just a trial: Viswanathan

When asked about it, Viswanathan confirmed that no CSK player had any injury. He claimed that they would inform everyone about injuries, if any. He confirmed that CSK wasn't picking any players, and Ayush was just a part of the trials.

"No, if there’s any need, we’ll do that. We’re not picking anybody, it’s just a trial," Viswanathan added.

Ayush has impressed the talent scouts of CSK and other IPL teams. The 17-year-old had a breakthrough maiden domestic season with Mumbai in the 2024/25 season, where he did well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Ranji Trophy. 

In the 50-over format, the opener scored 458 runs in seven innings at a fine batting average of 65.42, including a fifty and two hundreds. Likewise, Ayush scored 471 runs in eight matches in the Ranji Trophy at a batting average of 33.64, which included two hundreds and a fifty, with a best score of 176 against Maharashtra.