Ayush Mhatre has responded to his golden duck in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener against the Gujarat Titans with a resourceful 73-run knock against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The 18-year-old had to enter the middle early once again since Sanju Samson departed early once again, in the second over.
He had to fight off the new ball once again. This time, Mhatre was successful. Although far from fluent, which remained the case until he departed, he had no qualms about his approach. The youngster knew his role was to attack, while CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad anchors.
Attacking Ayush Mhatre favoured by lady luck
Mhatre went after Xavier Bartlett, the man who had dismissed Sanju Samson, in the 4th over. That 15-run over kicked things off for CSK. He took six off Vijaykumar Vyshak and a four off Arshdeep Singh in the next 12 balls. One of the best pace hitters going around, Mhatre overtook Ajinkya Rahane as the batter with the second-highest strike rate in the IPL since 2025.
Highest strike in powerplay from IPL 2025 onwards (minimum 60 balls played)
- 227.91 – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- 183.93 – Ayush Mhatre
- 181.94 – Ajinkya Rahane
- 173.02 – Devdutt Padikkal
- 172.49 – Phil Salt
After the powerplay, he entered the fifth gear. He teed off against Marco Jansen, hitting the tall South African for 2 sixes. Marcus Stoinis got the same treatment, and Mhatre registered a 29-ball half-century, becoming the youngest CSK batter to smash a fifty, breaking Suresh Raina’s 17-year-old record.
Mhatre wasn’t at his most fluent. He muscled the ball towards the leg side far too often, something that goes against his natural style of play. When spin came on, Yuzvendra Chahal started to struggle. But PBKS fielders weren’t keen on letting him go back to the hut.
Youngest to score at fifty for CSK at Chepauk
- 18yrs 261d – Ayush Mhatre
- 21yrs 148d – Suresh Raina
He was dropped on 59 and 67. Both times off Chahal’s bowling. First by Vyshak and then by Shashank Singh. However, Vyshak managed to finally get his wicket. A healthy edge flew to short third, who didn’t drop it. And guess? Chahal was the fielder. By no means was this Mhatre’s best knock. But 73 from 43 was what CSK needed to kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign.
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