Ayush Mhatre Sets IPL Record as Youngest Player to Score Half-Century

Ayush Mhatre, the 18-year-old batter for Chennai Super Kings, has made history by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in IPL at Chepauk. His remarkable innings of 73 runs against Punjab Kings not only highlights his talent but also places him among the elite players with multiple fifty-plus scores before turning 19. With an impressive IPL career so far, Mhatre's achievements are setting the stage for a promising future in cricket. Discover more about his record-breaking feat and the match summary.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 3, 2026, 22:27 IST

Historic Achievement by Ayush Mhatre

On Friday, Ayush Mhatre, a batter for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), made headlines by becoming the youngest player to achieve a half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the renowned Chepauk stadium. The 18-year-old, who captained the Indian U19 World Cup-winning team, scored 73 runs off 43 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes, with an impressive strike rate of 169.77 during the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Mhatre's Record-Breaking Feat

At just 18 years and 261 days old, Mhatre has set the record for the youngest player to score an IPL fifty at Chepauk. He joins the ranks of Vaibhav Suryavanshi from Rajasthan Royals and Prithvi Shaw from Delhi Capitals, both of whom have also recorded multiple fifty-plus scores in the IPL before turning 19. Mhatre's score of 73 is the third-highest individual score in IPL history for players under 19, following his own remarkable 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last season. The record for the highest score before turning 19 is held by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 101 against Gujarat Titans at the age of 14 last season.

Impressive IPL Career So Far

Since his debut last season, Mhatre has accumulated 313 runs in nine innings for CSK, boasting an average of 34.77 and a strike rate exceeding 183, including two fifties and a top score of 94. He stepped in as an injury replacement for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad last season, scoring 240 runs in seven innings with an average of 34.28 and a strike rate close to 189, featuring one fifty.

Match Summary: CSK vs PBKS

In their second match of the season, PBKS won the toss and chose to bowl first against CSK. Contributions from Mhatre (73 runs off 43 balls), Shivam Dube (45 not out off 28 balls), and Sarfaraz Khan (32 runs off 12 balls) propelled CSK to a total of 209/5 in 20 overs. Vijaykumar Vyshak was the standout bowler for PBKS, taking 2 wickets for 38 runs, while Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, and Yuzvendra Chahal each claimed a wicket.

Playing XI and Impact Substitutes

Punjab Kings Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Punjab Kings Impact Substitutes: Suryansh Shedge, Priyansh Arya, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Hemant Brar.

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.

Chennai Super Kings Impact Substitutes: Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh.