The IPL 2026 match between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings saw a strange moment when Ayush Mhatre failed the bat test twice because of an umpire’s mistake. Mhatre came in to bat after Sanju Samson got out to Xavier Bartlett, but his bat didn’t pass through the gauge.
A CSK player brought another bat, but that one also failed the test. Later, the umpire checked Mhatre’s first bat again and realized he had used the gauge incorrectly earlier. After correcting the mistake, the first bat was approved, and the match continued after a short delay.
Commentator Ian Bishop was shocked by the incident and said, “The gauge was upside down.”
UMPIRE TOOK TIME FOR CHECKING BAT OF AYUSH MHATRE #AyushMhatre #SanjuSamson #PBKS #CSK #PBKSvsCSK #ShreyasIyer pic.twitter.com/EJCgrDIVqD
— Somesh Jangra (@CelebrityGalax) April 3, 2026
Ayush Mhatre motoring along! 🏎️
The youngster putting wheels to @ChennaiIPL's innings 🔥#CSK 57/1 after the Powerplay.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/riWrE2EZiF#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvPBKS pic.twitter.com/UyJtggrhxT
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2026
Coming to the match, Ayush Mhatre made history by becoming the youngest player to score an IPL half-century at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. The 18-year-old, who captained India to an Under-19 World Cup win, played a brilliant innings of 73 runs off 43 balls against Punjab Kings, hitting six fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 169.77.
At 18 years and 261 days, he is now the youngest player to score an IPL fifty at Chepauk. He has also joined an elite list with Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prithvi Shaw for the most 50-plus scores in the IPL before turning 19.
Mhatre Registers Third-Highest U-19 IPL Score, Trails Only His Own 94 And Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Record 101
Mhatre’s 73 is the third-highest score in IPL history by a player under 19. The second-highest is also his—an impressive 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last season. The highest score before turning 19 belongs to Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 101 against Gujarat Titans at just 14 years old.
Since his debut last season, Ayush Mhatre has scored 313 runs in nine innings for Chennai Super Kings, averaging 34.77 with a strike rate of over 183. He has hit two half-centuries, with a highest score of 94.
Mhatre, who came in as an injury replacement for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, scored 240 runs in seven innings last season at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate close to 189, including one fifty. In this match, Punjab Kings won the toss and chose to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in their second game of the season.
Strong performances from Mhatre (73 off 43 balls, with six fours and five sixes), Shivam Dube (45* off 28 balls) and Sarfaraz Khan (32 off 12 balls) helped CSK post a big total of 209/5 in 20 overs. For PBKS, Vijaykumar Vyshak was the standout bowler with 2/38, while Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up one wicket each.
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