Angry CSK fans accuse Chennai management of mishandling Ayush Mhatre's injury, ‘Give walkover and go home’

Chennai Super Kings are under fire for their handling of teenage batter Ayush Mhatre. The 18-year-old suffered a serious left hamstring tear on 18 April. It happened during CSK's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Now, he has been ruled out of IPL 2026.

“Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18,” CSK shared in an official statement.

“Ayush's injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks. We wish Ayush a speedy recovery,” it added.

In that match, Mhatre came to bat with a heavily-strapped knee. He was visibly limping early in the power play. Physios treated him on the field twice. Despite this, the management allowed him to keep batting.

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad drew sharp criticism for calling Mhatre for a quick single. The teenager was clearly unable to run. He had to sprint in pain to avoid a run-out. He was dismissed on the very next ball.

The youngster was then carried off the field by his physio and a teammate. Batting coach Michael Hussey later confirmed the hamstring tear was serious.

Critics and fans have questioned why the "Retired Out" option was not used to protect him. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called the decision "careless".

“In this season, Ayush Mhatre has been one of the stars. I don’t understand how they can handle him carelessly. I was shocked. Everyone in the commentary box kept their mics on the table and watched in complete shock as the unfolding events unfolded. Very, very surprising," Ashwin said in his YouTube channel.

“It's not Ayush getting ruled out of the IPL, it's CSK exiting from the tournament. Rest 8 matches are just formalities we need to do,” commented another fan.

Another frustrated fan wrote, “Be ashamed! Deepak Chahar, who was so poorly managed here, goes to MI and plays two seasons fully! And, here we are losing all our main players every game! Fans could manage better than the team's management! Find ways to injure Rutu, Sanju, Dube and give a walkover and go home.”

“Kudos to Ruturaj Gaikwad for making him run with an injury. Sack Stephen Fleming,” exclaimed another frustrated fan.

“Being a fan, I wish to say this, corporate CSK is the worst to its players in case of injury! Learn from other teams and improve yourself. Why don’t you announce injury for Sarfaraz and Sanju, too? Let them at least escape the social media insults!!! Pls consider,” came from another angry fan.

CSK's injury list has grown rapidly this season. Khaleel Ahmed has a quadriceps tear. Nathan Ellis and Dewald Brevis are also unavailable. Questions remain about MS Dhoni's calf injury as well.

“Ayush Mhatre was the only batsman in the team who was making sure that we got off to a good start. Hopefully, he gets wet soon. Urvil Patel should come into the team,” suggested a fan.