IPL 2025: 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre to debut for CSK as MI opt to bowl first

A day after the Rajasthan Royals handed a debut to 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Chennai Super Kings sprung a surprise by handing his first cap to 17-year-old Mumbai Ranji player Ayush Mhatre. Mhatre, who came in place of Rahul Tripathi, has become the youngest player ever to play for CSK.

Mumbai also made a change, bringing in Ashwani Kumar into the playing XI from the substitutes bench.

With two of the three games played at the Wankhede Stadium so far this season won by the chasers, it was no surprise that Hardik Pandya opted to follow the same pattern.

Pandya said the track looks good and felt it could get a bit sticky initially, which will give them a chance to assess the track. "We just need to keep playing good cricket and executing plans, keeping it simple," said Pandya when asked about their plans for making it to the playoffs.

"It's exciting that we've not played to our best potential, that gives us encouragement to come on and put on our best team every game. The man behind me as well [Dhoni], everyone is excited when he comes. MI vs CSK is always exciting. So, look forward to today," said Pandya.

CSK captain MS Dhoni said they too would have bowled first. "You have to play bold cricket, but at the same time, when you tell someone to go play their shots, it's important for the batsman to know what his shots are. Similarly, for bowlers. So there are quite a few things to keep in mind in either department. But it's important to let players express themselves," said Dhoni about what they need to revive their campaign as they try to recover from the five losses in a row they have suffered so far this season.

Dhoni said that they need to work on their catching, but added that they haven't played very well, so they need to improve in all departments of the game.

Playing XIs:

Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar

Impact Substitutes: Corbin Bosch, Rohit Sharma, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Raju

Chennai Super Kings: Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Ayush Mhatre, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, James Overton, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Noor Ahmad, Ibrahim Khaleel, Matheesha Pathirana

Impact Substitutes: Anshul Kamboj, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, R. Ashwin.