IPL 2026: CSK call up Mumbai's Ayush Vartak for mid-season trials

MUMBAI: Wrecked by injuries during their IPL 2026 campaign, five-time champions Chennai Super Kings have called up Mumbai's young batting allrounder Ayush Vartak for mid-season trials. "Yes, Ayush has been called up for trials on Tuesday. He will reach Chennai on Monday night," a source tracking developments told TOI.

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CSK has suffered a couple of big injury blows this season with Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre (hamstring) and Rajasthan pacer Khaleel Ahmed (quadricep) ruled out of IPL 2026 due to serious injuries.



With six points from eight matches, CSK are placed at the sixth spot in the table.

The 21-year-old Vartak, who hails from Vasai and plays for Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local cricket, captained the Mumbai Under-23 team in the first phase of the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (for Under-23) last season.

Vartak has not represented the Mumbai senior team so far, but has been a part of the senior probables for the last couple of seasons. The big-hitting young turk scored 363 runs in six innings in Men’s State A Trophy 2025, in a tally which included as many as 26 sixes (second highest in India after Mukul Choudhary). He made scores: 132, 92*, 75, and was the leading run-getter for Mumbai in the tournament. In the 2024-25 Col CK Nayudu Trophy, he scored 770 runs in nine matches - the most for Mumbai - with scores of 192, 102, 105, 77, 59 & 54.

He recently won the MCA's U-23 Outstanding Performance Award for 2024 season.

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