Ayush Mhatre scripts history, joins Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prithvi Shaw in elite list

Ayush Mhatre was unstoppable in the CSK vs PBKS IPL 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, amassing 73 runs off just 43 deliveries. The right-handed batter smashed 6 boundaries and 5 sixes, with his runs coming at a strike rate of 169.76. The 18-year-old has joined Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prithvi Shaw in the elite list. He is the third cricketer to have scored two or more fifty-plus scores in the Indian Premier League before turning 19.

While the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has recorded three such scores, Mhatre is levelled with Shaw, who managed 2. The CSK batter is the young player to amass a half-century at Chepauk.

Ayush stitched 96 runs with CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for the second wicket. He played shots to all parts of the ground, and the bowlers were put under pressure from the time he came to the middle. 

Overall, he has presented Chennai in 10 matches, managing 313 runs at an average of 34.77 runs and a strike rate of 183.04. Ayush has struck 37 fours and 16 sixes.

Mhatre, who hails from Mumbai, recently led India to the U19 World Cup title in Zimbabwe. He was retained by the five-time champions for the 19th season, with the five-time management backing him after a breakthrough season in 2025.

Meanwhile, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and invited CSK to bat first on a batting-friendly wicket. 

Chennai Super Kings

Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed

CSK Impact Sub Options

Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh

Punjab Kings

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal 

PBKS Impact Sub Options

Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar