Chennai Super Kings' misery has extended from IPL 2025 to 2026 with yet another underwhelming show. Following their first wooden spoon ignominy, this is just the second instance of them starting off an edition with two straight defeats, after 2022.

Amid the shambles and chaos, the brightest among the few positives has been Ayush Mhatre, as was the case in the second of half last year. CSK's average Powerplay score surged from 47 to 57 with his introduction to the XI then, but he has been dropped to No.3 this time around with experienced campaigners upfront. In both outings though, Mhatre walked in to bat earlier than his side would've wished for, with Sanju Samson dismissed at an identical 1.6-over mark. Following a first-ball dismissal against Rajasthan Royals to a bumper - an anomaly - Mhatre reinstated his expertise against the short-pitched stuff against a line-up featuring Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett on Friday.

Mhatre smashed 65 off 34 against quicks (SR: 191.17) during his stroke-filled 73, 19 of them while playing the pull shot featuring two sixes and a four. He has incredible numbers against hard length off seamers in his short career so far: of the 38 batters to have faced at least 50 such deliveries in the IPL since 2025, his strike-rate of 240.67 is well clear of the next best (210.10). India's U19 World Cup winning captain follows the simple principle - fighting fire with fire - attacking 85.7% of these balls, again the highest with that cut-off.

Best SR vs short balls from quicks in the IPL since 2025

*min. 50 balls faced | last column indicates percentage of balls with attacking shots

Mhatre playing the pull/hook shot vs quicks in the IPL

Within the first six overs, Mhatre has aggregated 116 off 50 (1 dismissal, SR: 232) against this length (15 off 7 on Friday), his strike-rate being the highest with a 20-ball cut-off. It is in stark contrast to what all his other teammates have managed in the IPL across 2025 and 2026. CSK batters collectively averaged 19.8 against short balls from quicks in the powerplay in IPL 2025, the lowest among all teams and well below the tournament aggregate of 34.8.

CSK batters vs hard lengths in Overs 1-6 since IPL 2025

As Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled to find timing, Mhatre contributed 67 (69.8%) in a 96-run second-wicket stand that put CSK in a position of strength at the 11-over mark. They managed 20/3 in the following three overs, and even the late blitz from Shivam Dube and Sarfaraz Khan later didn't prove to be enough. It's a batting line-up that promises a lot in comparison to 2025, especially once Dewald Brevis returns to the fold. However, with the other suit visibly lacking bite, the five-time winners would need an even more intent and impact with the bat, ideally matching that of their youngest squad member.