Chennai Super Kings swiftly addressed their injury crisis by signing former Mumbai Indians fast bowler Akash Madhwal as a replacement for the injured Ayush Mhatre. Mhatre was ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 season due to a hamstring injury, leaving a gap in CSK’s top order. Madhwal, who started as a net bowler for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019, earned his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2022 and impressed with his performance in the nets. He then played for Mumbai in 2023 and 2024 before moving to Rajasthan Royals in 2025. After going unsold in the auction last year, Madhwal joined CSK for INR 30 lakh. His addition provides much-needed depth to CSK’s pace attack, which has been plagued by injuries this season. Mhatre, the former U19 World Cup-winning captain, had a strong start to the season for CSK before his injury. The team also lost Khaleel Ahmed and Spencer Johnson to injuries earlier in the season, but Johnson has since returned to the squad.
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