On April 21, Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) in-form batter Ayush Mhatre was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Shortly after the news, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took to X and shared his advice for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without naming the franchise. Ashwin wants CSK to get India's Under-19 World Cup 2026-winning member Vihaan Malhotra on loan from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
“With so many injuries on the horizons! The loan window closes after the 7th game mark & it will be a great idea to loan this sensational talent from RCB,” Ashwin wrote on X.
“He hasn’t played a single game so far, hence it is a viable option.”
As per the IPL rules, a franchise can get a player from another franchise on loan. This player shouldn’t have played more than two games in the season. In this case, Malhotra hasn’t played a single game. Also, the rules prohibit the player from playing against the original franchise. CSK don’t have a game scheduled against RCB in the league stage.
In addition, Ashwin also named wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu who can be a part of the core team. However, Kundu was not part of the IPL 2026 mega auction. Hence, CSK cannot pick him as a replacement for Mhatre.
“If not Vihaan, Abhigyan Kundu is also a left handed option that can be groomed, keeping “FUTURE CORE” in mind,” Ashwin added.
Who are Vihaan Malhotra and Abhigyan Kundu?
All-rounder Malhotra was roped in for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. In U19 World Cup 2026, he scored 240 runs from seven innings at an average of 60, including a century.
Kundu wasn't far behind with 249 runs from five innings at an average of 59.75, featuring two half-centuries. Also, he is the only India batter to score a double century in youth ODIs. He did so against Malaysia in the Under-19 Asia Cup 2025.
Both Malhotra, Kundu scored more runs than their skipper Mhatre (214 runs) in the U19 World Cup 2026.