RCB vs CSK IPL 2025: Ayush Mhatre impresses despite a disheartening defeat

When Romario Shepherd thrashed Khaleel Ahmed in the penultimate over of the first innings, the matters looked done and dusted right there for CSK. In a season where the batting order has consistently failed to show up, the target of 214 looked insurmountable even before the chase started. However, a young teen prodigy brought the belief in the chase and the skill set to back the belief. Ayush Mhatre opened the innings with Shaik Rasheed for Chennai Super Kings. Despite the top order crumbling soon after, Mhatre notched 94 runs to push his team towards the victory. While his team fumbled the RCB vs CSK IPL 2025 match by 2 runs, Mhatre has emerged as the silver lining in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the team.

CSK head coach hails Ayush Mhatre for his heroic knock in the RCB vs CSK IPL 2025 match

Ayush Mhatre joined the CSK camp as an injury replacement for skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 17-year-old showed positive intent right from his debut game, the MI vs CSK IPL 2025 match. Playing at his home ground, Mhatre smashed 32 runs off 15 deliveries laced with 4 fours and 2 maximums. In his next match, the CSK vs SRH fixture at Chepauk, Mhatre showed similar conviction with 30 runs off 19 balls but failed to convert the good start into a big score. However, it all happened at the Chinnaswamy in the RCB vs CSK IPL 2025 match.

Opening the 214-run chase, Mhatre and Rasheed took the first two overs to settle down. However, a flurry of boundaries followed soon after. Mhatre took on the seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the powerplay. The fourth over by Kumar read 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 as the young gun smashed 26 off a single over. Despite the top order crumbling as Shaik Rasheed and Sam Curran departed early, Mhatre stood his ground. With the needed support flowing from the other end, courtesy of Ravindra Jadeja, Mhatre notched his maiden IPL fifty.

Stitching a 114-run partnership with Jadeja, Mhatre, with his 94-run knock, made the target look chaseable for CSK. The batter was dismissed in the 17th over by Lungi Ngidi as Mhatre went in for another big shot despite toiling close to his maiden IPL century. However, the shot ended up in the hands of Krunal Pandya as Mhatre missed his well-deserved century. A series of dramatic scenes unfolded following his dismissal before CSK failed to win the match and the home team registered a narrow two-run victory in the RCB vs CSK match.

However, in a season where nothing seems to have gone their way, CSK would be positively charged by the emergence of this raw talent. Just in his teens right now, Mhatre could be a long-term fix in the Chennai Super Kings lineup as the five-time champions overlook a redemption in the following seasons. The CSK head coach, Stephen Fleming, lauded the young star from Mumbai for his heroics against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy.

"It's early days, but we have been very impressed with one of his skills, right from when he trialled and was with us in the early part of the season... but more his temperament, really," Fleming said. "It's one thing to have a lot of shots, but to be able to execute that game plan on a big stage in front of some of the biggest players in the world is what I admire. I think we have enjoyed a lot of the shot play from young players in this tournament and we're delighted that we've got one ourselves, so yes, excited about the future for him."

"It's sometimes hard to explain, but there's just a quality around what he was doing," Fleming said of Mhatre. "But his composure was something that impressed me. He's got talent, he's got hand-eye coordination, he's got a beautiful silky swing. He's aggressive, everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player. But to me it's the temperament and being able to execute in a trial and then on the big stage. So that's what I'm most impressed with."