17 -year -old Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre has been seen by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement of his captain Ruturaj Gikwad, who left the IPL 2025 due to fracture in his elbow. Mhatre was called by CSK for a test two weeks ago to estimate his batting in the nets and after Gaikwad’s injury, he decided to bring it to the young man.
Matre has played nine first -class games for Mumbai, scoring two centuries and a half century. He also represented Mumbai at the Seven List A Games, with a high score of 181 against Nagaland to go with 148 against Saurashtra during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He will soon join the CSK side, while it is not clear that he will get a chance to play in the team immediately.
1⃣8⃣1⃣ Run | 11177 b balls | 11⃣ sixes | 15 💪💪 fours 💪💪
See snipet of Record-Breaking Dastak of Ayush Mahat of 181 Mumbai against Nagaland #Vijayhazaretrophy In Ahmedabad, he became the youngest player to score more than 150 in the list of men@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/vgyzbolpw8
– BCCI Domestic (@BCCIDOSTIC) 1 January, 2025
Matre made his debut as a opener for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team last year in the Iranian Trophy against the rest of India. Like many cricketers from the city, he passed through the hard yard. He used to wake up at 4:15 am, catch a train at 5 o’clock from Virar – his house is 46 km from Mumbai city – to reach the Oval ground, famous for his practice sessions.
His aggressive batting style tracked the selectors rapidly to the senior party. He was 13 years old when his local side Virar-Sinath Sports Club decided to elevate him in his senior team, where he easily took big boys.
It was his grandfather, a retired railway employee who would leave him daily in Mumbai grounds.
“When I was 6 years old, I started playing, but my real cricket started when I was 10 years old.” “I got admission in Don Bosco High School in Matunga and it was my grandfather Laxmikant Naik (Nana) who took the responsibility of taking me there every day. So in the morning, in the morning, I used to go to practice in Matunga, go to school, and then did not tell my grandfather.
His father Yogesh once lost his job, and Ayush is grateful to his support despite everything. “My father and mother never felt me that there is some financial problem at home. As if a bat has been broken, I did not ask for a new. Even today my father travels with me in a local train so that if there is an oral battle with someone, he will handle it, so that I will handle it when I am going to bat.” His father now works as a clerk at the Vasai Corporation Bank.
A Rohit Sharma fan, he has cut himself from social media since last season, and his family has asked him to keep things simple. He will now turn to one of the great IPL franchisees.
