Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are set to sign Mumbai’s 17-year-old opener Ayush Mhatre, a Rohit Sharma fan, according to reports.

CSK are currently at the bottom of IPL 2025 table with just two points from six games. They have lost five games in a row including three at home.

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The Chennai franchise will bring in Mhatre as a replacement for regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was ruled out of the season due to an elbow injury. Mhatre was unsold in last year’s mega auction and has a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Mhatre's record

Last year, right-handed batter Mhatre made his first-class debut for Mumbai against Rest of India in the Irani Cup. So far, he has featured in nine first-class and seven List A games. He is yet to play T20s for senior Mumbai team.

Known for his aggressive batting, Mhatre has scored two hundreds and one fifty each in both first-class and 50-over formats. With his off-spin, he has taken seven wickets in List A.

He hit a record 181 against Nagaland in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, becoming the youngest to register a 150-plus score in men’s List A cricket.

In an interview with Indian Express last year, Mhatre said he started to play cricket at the age of six and it was his grandfather who would take him to play in Mumbai’s famous Oval maidan.

“I started to play when I was 6 but my real cricket started when I was 10. I got admission in Don Bosco High School in Matunga and it was my grandfather Laxmikant Naik (Nana) who took the responsibility to take me there every day. So in the morning, I used to go for practice in Matunga, attend school, and then go to Churchgate to attend another practice.

In January, Mhatre posted a picture with his idol Rohit on Instagram and wrote, “Started playing cricket by watching him bat on television to sharing a dressing room with my idol was such an unreal moment. Lots of learning to take forward #dreamcometrue (sic).”