Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won’t be playing in the current 2025 Indian Premier League anymore. The team’s coach, Stephen Fleming, announced on Thursday, April 10, that Gaikwad, who is 28 and hails from Maharashtra, has suffered an elbow fracture. Gaikwad took over the captaincy from the legendary MS Dhoni before IPL 2024, and now Dhoni will step back into that role for the rest of this season.
Fleming explained how Gaikwad got injured. It happened during a match against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 when he got hit by a fast ball from England bowler Jofra Archer. “He took a hit in Guwahati, and since then, he’s been dealing with quite a bit of pain. We did an X-ray, but it didn’t show anything clear. Finally, we had to get an MRI, which confirmed the fracture in his elbow,” the coach said.
Gaikwad tried to play through the pain in subsequent matches against the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. Unfortunately, the CSK medical team could only arrange for the MRI after his swelling went down. “It’s tough for us to see him go through this, and we really feel for him. He did everything he could to keep playing, but we had to make the decision to replace him in the lineup,” Fleming added.
Since Gaikwad is out, CSK can bring in a substitute. There’s buzz about a 17-year-old player from Mumbai named Ayush Mhatre coming in as a replacement. Mhatre had recently joined CSK’s camp as a support player, and he should be officially announced soon. He’s already played nine first-class matches and seven List A games for Mumbai, showcasing his talent with some solid batting. Like Gaikwad, Mhatre is also a top-order batter and made a bit of a splash by becoming the youngest player to score over 150 runs in a List A match. So, while it’s sad to see Gaikwad go, it seems there’s a youthful talent ready to step up for CSK.
