MUMBAI: The five-time champions have been hit by injuries during their IPL 2026 campaign Chennai Super Kings Mumbai has called up young batting all-rounder Ayush Varthik for mid-season trials. “Yes, Ayush has been called for trial on Tuesday. He will reach Chennai on Monday night,” a source close to the development told TOI. Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!CSK have suffered two major injuries this season with Mumbai opener Ayush Mahatre (hamstring) and Rajasthan pacer Khalil Ahmed (quadricep) ruled out of IPL 2026 due to serious injuries. With six points from eight matches, CSK is sixth in the table. The 21-year-old Varthik, who hails from Vasai and plays for Parsi Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local cricket team, captained the Mumbai Under-23 team in the first leg of the Colonel CK Naidu Trophy (for Under-23s) last season. Varthik has not represented the Mumbai senior team till now, but has been part of the senior prospects for the past two seasons. The big-hitting young Turk scored 363 runs in six innings at the Men’s State A Trophy 2025, including a maximum of 26 sixes (second most in India after Mikkel Chaudhary). He scored: 132, 92*, 75, and was the highest run-scorer for Mumbai in the tournament. In the 2024–25 Col. CK Naidu Trophy, he scored 770 runs in nine matches – the most for Mumbai – with scores of 192, 102, 105, 77, 59 and 54.He recently won MCA’s U-23 Outstanding Performance Award for the 2024 season.
