IPL 2026: Who Will Replace Ayush Mhatre at No.3 in CSK's Playing XI vs MI? Here Are 4 Options

Following Ayush Mhatre’s season-ending injury, CSK are searching for a new No.3 for the IPL 2026 clash vs MI. His absence creates a top-order gap, with Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, and Matthew Short among the contenders.

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No.3 Conundrum for CSK Ahead of MI Clash

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will head into the IPL 2026 clash against the Mumbai Indians without their most aggressive batter of the season in Ayush Mhatre, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring tear, sustained during the clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Mhatre aggregated 201 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 177.87 in six matches, before a hamstring injury brought his campaign to an early end. His absence for the remainder of the season has left the Chennai Super Kings management to decide on a new No.3 to maintain batting stability.

With skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson likely to be continued as an opening pair, cSK will now look for a reliable No.3 option to stabilize the top order. On that note, let’s take a look at four options who could be ideal replacements for Ayush Mhatre in the playing XI for the MI clash.

Image Credit : Urvil Patel/Instagram

1. Urvil Patel

Urvil Patel has appeared to be the front-runner to take Ayush Mhatre’s spot in the Chennai Super Kings’ playing XI against the Mumbai Indians. Urvil is part of the CSK squad, but has yet to play a match in the ongoing IPL season. In the last IPL season, the 27-year-old played for three matches for the CSK and scored 68 runs at an average of 22.66 and a strike rate of 212.50.

Patel is often cited as a ‘like-for-like’ replacement for Ayush Mhatre, who was an aggressive batter and powerplay dominator, with a strike rate of 170 in the first six overs across six appearances in the tournament. Urvil Patel, who holds the joint record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian batter, is seen as a high-impact option capable of replicating that intent at No.3.

Urvil has played 13 T20 matches while batting at No.3 and scored 256 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 21.33, making him a steady option CSK could trust in a high-pressure clash against the Mumbai Indians.

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2. Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan has often been entrusted with the task of stabilizing the middle-order alongside Shivam Dube by batting at No.4 or 5 in the ongoing IPL season. Khan has had a decent campaign so far, amassing 147 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 29.50 and a strike rate of 170.93 in six matches.

However, Sarfaraz Khan could be pushed to the No.3 spot to provide stability at the top order. Just like his Mumbai teammate Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz is an aggressive but technically solid batter capable of adapting to different match situations.

In his T20 career, Sarfaraz has batted only 8 times at the No.3 spot and amassed 301 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 51.16 and a strike rate of 195.54, making him a proven high-impact option for the top-order role if CSK decides to promote him.

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3. Karthik Sharma

Another batter who has been touted as a potential replacement for Ayush Mhatre at the No.3 batting position is Kartik Sharma. Kartik was signed by the CSK for a whopping INR 14.2 crore, making him the joint-most expensive uncapped player in the history of IPL.

However, Kartik Sharma hasn’t been able to justify his price tag yet as he has scored just 25 runs at an average of 8.33 and a strike rate of 119.04. Given his expensive signing, CSK management will look to back him at the top of the order and give him a key opportunity at No.3 in a high-pressure clash against the Mumbai Indians.

Kartik Sharma has never played at the top order in his 15-match T20 career, but the team could experiment with him at No.3 despite limited experience in that position.

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4. Matthew Short

Another likely option to replace Ayush Mhatre at No.3 in CSK’s playing XI for the MI clash is Matthew Short. Short played only two matches in the IPL 2026 and scored 36 runs, including a 34-run innings against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, while batting at No.4.

The Australian batter has often been viewed as a middle-order stabilizer, although he has batted at the top order in the Big Bash League, playing as an opener for Adelaide Strikers in the 2025/26 season of the tournament, and scored 280 in 10 innings. Short might be pushed to the No.3 spot to strengthen the batting lineup with his proven top-order experience in franchise cricket.

In his T20 career, Matthew Short has batted at No.3 in 21 matches and aggregated 411 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 21.63 and a strike rate of 145.88, making him a flexible top-order option who can adapt to CSK’s needs against the Mumbai Indians.