Ayush Mhatre is a bright and young right-handed batter from Mumbai. He made his mark in the India Under-19 setup with three appearances at the 2024 Asia Cup. However, it was in the first-class circuit where he truly turned heads. He debuted in the Irani Cup last year with a stellar 176 against Maharashtra—led by Ruturaj Gaikwad—after a composed 52 on a turning track against Baroda in Vadodara. In his nine first-class appearances so far, Mhatre has scored 504 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 31.50. His List A record is even more impressive: 458 runs in seven innings at an average of 65.42 and a strike rate of 135.50. His century against Nagaland also saw him break Yashasvi Jaiswal’s world record, becoming the youngest player to score 150+ in men’s senior List A cricket. The 17-year-old earned his maiden IPL contract when Chennai Super Kings signed him as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad for INR 30 lakhs ahead of IPL 2025. Sharing the dressing room with stalwarts like MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin etc, is set to be a golden opportunity that promises to boost his game and accelerate his development.