Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2026 season on Tuesday (April 21) due to a hamstring injury, causing Chennai Super Kings a significant setback. CSK has confirmed that the 18-year-old's injury will necessitate a six- to twelve-week rehabilitation period, preventing him from competing. On April 18, while batting against SRH in Hyderabad, the youngster attempted a second run and was seen clutching his left hamstring. He required on-field attention a couple of times before he got out, and on his way back, Ramakrishna Ghosh and the physio Tommy Simsek helped him off the field. On Monday, the batter had scans to determine the extent of his injury. Mhatre's absence will hurt CSK's chances big time with the five-time champions already struggling for momentum in the tournament. Losing their first three games, CSK won the next two before losing again recently in Hyderabad. Mhatre has been their leading scorer up to this point, scoring two half-centuries at a striking rate of 177.87, which is very impressive. CSK were just dealt a blow few days earlier when seamer Khaleel Ahmed got ruled out of the tournament. They also lost Nathan Ellis to an injury even before the tournament began and Dewald Brevis didn't feature in the initial games as well. Veteran MS Dhoni hasn't been available to play yet and will be one of the contenders to come into the playing XII now subject to his fitness. CSK's next fixture is against Mumbai Indians on April 23 at the Wankhede stadium.