Ayush Mhatre: The 17-year-old joins CSK to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad

The Chennai Super Kings have zeroed in on the 17year-old batter Ayush Mhatre as the replacement player. The beleaguered franchise, struggling to find a proper combination this IPL, have decided to get onboard the young Mumbai opener as a replacement for skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has currently been ruled out of the season due to an elbow fracture.

Who is Ayush Mhatre?

The young batter Ayush is highly regarded in Mumbai's cricketing circles. In nine first-class matches, he has scored 504 runs, including two centuries and a 50. In seven List A games, he has already amassed 458 runs, with two centuries to his name. He debuted in first class cricket last October and many experts in Mumbai believe that he is an India material.

Chennai Super Kings current position on the points table

Chennai Super Kings, five-time champions, who are languishing at the bottom of the points table at this season, took the decision late on Saturday. Ayush has been asked to join the franchise immediately but the earliest he can link up with the MS Dhoni-led squad is only a couple of days later. Ayush, with a base price of Rs 30 lakh, was unsold in the auction.

"He will join the squad in Mumbai in a couple of days," said a source close to the CSK management. The team is currently in Lucknow for their seventh game, which will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium tonight. At present, CSK have one win and two points, having suffered five losses on the trot. They will play against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on April 20 at the Wankhede.

The CSK nod came after the franchise called Ayush to Chennai for trials along with a couple of others - Urvil Patel of Gujarat and Salman Nizar of Kerala. Prithvi Shaw, out of favour with the IPL teams currently, was also in the reckoning but the team is understood to have picked Ayush as a replacement for Gaikwad.