In an unfortunate development for Chennai Super Kings, Ruturaj Gaikwad was declared to be ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League due to an elbow fracture. The official news was confirmed by the head coach of the franchise, Stephen Fleming, in a pre-match press conference on the eve of CSK’s home game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The passing of the leadership baton was a pretty straightforward call. Legendary wicketkeeper-batter, MS Dhoni, was announced to be leading the side till the end of the season. The joint-most successful captain will be expected to overturn the lean form associated with CSK of late. The Men in Yellow have been on a four-match losing streak after winning their tournament opener against arch-rivals, Mumbai Indians, by a four-wicket margin.
The blow incurred in the form of Gaikwad is indeed a massive one for the five-time champions. A prominent key figure has been lost from the top order of the side, which is languishing in the ninth position five games into IPL 2025. After all, Gaikwad has been CSK’s leading run-getter in three of the past four seasons. With a solid option up top having disappeared, the team management will have to shortlist players to fill up Gaikwad’s boots in as prompt a manner as possible.
Below are three possible replacements for Gaikwad in CSK’s squad:
3. C Andre Siddarth
The budding 18-year-old talent could be an apt replacement for Gaikwad while slotting alongside either of Rachin Ravindra or Devon Conway. Siddarth, the nephew of former Tamil Nadu batter Sridharan Sharath, recently featured for India U19 in the 2024 edition of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The elegant right-handed batter has had a season-long experience at the Tamil Nadu Premier League too.
His batting prowess was best captured in the 2024-25 edition of the Ranji Trophy. Siddarth struck a total of 612 runs in 12 innings for Tamil Nadu. The teenage batter’s talent was well and truly identified by Ravichandran Ashwin, who earmarked the prodigy as a “future star”. The talented player was secured by CSK at the two-day mega auction in Jeddah last year for his base price of INR 30 lakh.
2. Shaik Rasheed
Rasheed was acquired at the mega auction for the same sum as Siddarth. He, however, possesses significantly more white-ball experience than Siddarth. In 15 T20 innings so far, the Andhra Pradesh-born youngster has registered 352 runs at a respectable strike rate of 127.07. Other than being a capable batter up the order, Rasheed also has a reputation of being a live wire on the field.
For the unversed, Rasheed has been a part of the CSK setup since the 2023 season. However, he has not been provided with an opportunity until now. In no way does this take away from the sheer class of the promising star. There have been a lot of cries from a bunch of CSK supporters to provide game time to Rasheed over the past couple of seasons. Gaikwad’s injury could quite realistically open the door for Rasheed to be incorporated into the mix.
1. Ayush Mhatre
After impressing the talent heads during CSK’s trials last year, the 2007-born Mhatre went unsold during the mega auction in November last year. However, in the latest turn of events, the upcoming prospect was called up for the franchise’s mid-season trials. This news was confirmed by the team’s MD and CEO, Kasi Viswanathan, on Sunday, April 6. Mhatre enjoyed a fruitful season representing Mumbai in the 2024-25 VHT.
Also Check: 3 unsold IPL players in PSL CSK should target as Ruturaj Gaikwad’s replacement
He compiled 458 runs in seven games, entailing a grand total of 43 fours and 23 maximums during the domestic 50-over tournament. Other than being a technically-astute frontline batter, Mhatre also provides value with handy right-arm off-breaks; yet another noteworthy aspect of his cricketing inventory. As of Thursday, April 10, nothing has been confirmed in relation to Mhatre being shortlisted from the trials or not.
