In a massive development, the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), have roped in Akash Madhwal as a replacement for Ayush Mhatre for the remainder of the IPL 2026.
Ayush Mhatre, the U19 World Cup-winning captain, looked in top-notch form in IPL 2026 for CSK, but he suffered a hamstring injury against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which has ruled him out of the competition.
CSK rope in Akash Madhwal as Ayush Mhatre’s replacement
The 32-year-old Akash Madhwal, who has previously represented the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), has joined CSK for his base price of INR 30 lakh.
Earlier it was reported by Cricbuzz that Madhwal had attended CSK’s trials conducted in Hyderabad, where their last match was held.
Akash Madhwal’s IPL career and performance
Madhwal had originally gotten his first taste of IPL cricket as a net bowler for RCB in 2021. The next year, he was signed as a replacement player by Mumbai Indians for the injured Suryakumar Yadav.
Madhwal made his IPL debut in 2023, and took 14 wickets in 8 matches for Mumbai Indians. That season had a best performance of 5/5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. It was the first time that a bowler had taken a five wicket haul in an IPL playoff match.
In IPL 2024, MI finished in last place and Madhwal took only 5 wickets in 5 matches at an economy of over 11. In 2025, Madhwal joined Rajasthan Royals but only managed 4 wickets in 4 matches against at an economy of more than 11 runs an over.
