Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested a potential fix for his former IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings, after Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 with a hamstring injury.
Mhatre is the latest setback in what has been a difficult season for CSK, already hampered by multiple injury concerns, including that of MS Dhoni. The India U-19 World Cup-winning captain sustained the injury during Chennai’s previous game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18.
The franchise confirmed on Tuesday that Mhatre, who has been one of their standout batters this season—scoring 201 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 177.87—will miss the rest of IPL 2026, with his rehabilitation expected to take six to 12 weeks.
While Chennai will now be on the lookout for a replacement, Ashwin suggested the franchise explore the loan window to rope in Vihaan Malhotra from Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He pointed out that the window closes after the seventh match and urged CSK to act quickly.
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Ashwin also proposed an alternative, recommending India U-19 wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu as a long-term option, even though he wasn’t part of the IPL auction pool.
“With so many injuries on the horizon! The loan window closes after the 7th game mark & it will be a great idea to loan this sensational talent from RCB. He hasn’t played a single game so far, hence it is a viable option. If not Vihaan, Abhigyan Kundu is also a left-handed option that can be groomed, keeping ‘FUTURE CORE’ in mind,” Ashwin wrote on X.
Ashwin was also asked whether RCB would be willing to loan a player to a direct rival like CSK. The former India spinner explained that, given the contrasting positions of the two teams on the points table, Bengaluru could view it as a commercial opportunity.
“One team is comfortably placed and the other isn’t competing with them at the moment, so there is an opportunity to make some cash. The player also gets a chance to play and will return to the original franchise after a few games,” he added.
What is the IPL loan rule?
The loan window operates between matches 20 and 34 in an IPL season, and players who have featured in 0 to 2 matches are eligible. A loaned player remains with the borrowing franchise for the rest of the season but cannot play against their parent team.