Against the roaring Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, Ayush-Mhatre, a 17-year-old talent from Chennai Super Kings, made his much-awaited IPL debut. He was drafted into the CSK squad for the IPL 2025 season. During the toss, MS Dhoni confirmed that Mhatre would take the place of Rahul Tripathi in the playing XI as Mumbai opted to bowl first at the Wankhede. A 17-year-old, Ayush Mhatre might not have yet passed his driving test, but he is certainly capable of hitting sixes. He certainly showed some eye-catchy power hitting in that high-octane match against MI. Mhatre grabbed the opportunity with both hands and went on to score 32 runs off just 15 balls in one of the more talked-about matches. He hit 4 boundaries and smacked 2 big-sixes to earn praises from MS Dhoni and even some MI players. 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙩 🤩How about that for a start 🔥Ayush Mhatre's #TATAIPL career is up and away in some fashion 💛#CSK 52/1 after 6 overs. Updates ▶ https://t.co/v2k7Y5sIdi#MIvCSK | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/UVvmdWotvY — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2025 There is no doubt that a sparkling start by this young lad laid the foundation for CSK and pinpointed him as a prospective star of the coming future. He is surely going to steal some attention this season. This is less about comparisons and more about the recognition of torchbearers of the future. The IPL was led by legends in 2008-Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid. But time marched on. We're in the 18th season now, and stalwarts like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma are still lining up their banners for the league. But theirs is an era close to ending. Stepping in are 14-year-old Suryavanshi and 17-year-old Mhatre. Combined, they are still younger than today's icons. These players are not just the budding wheat but also the stars of tomorrow-the stars who will herald the next era of the IPL. Change is coming-and it looks good. The future of IPL is safe in promising hands. Also Read | Watch: Virat Kohli & Devdutt Padikkal Running a Sensational Four Top 10 youngest players to debut in the IPL: Rank Player Name Age at Debut Debut Team IPL Debut Year Role 1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi 14 years 23 days Rajasthan Royals 2025 Batter 2 Prayas Ray Barman 16 years 157 days Royal Challengers Bangalore 2019 Left-arm spinner 3 Mujeeb Ur Rahman 17 years 11 days Punjab Kings 2018 Mystery spinner 4 Riyan Parag 17 years 152 days Rajasthan Royals 2019 Batting all-rounder 5 Pradeep Sangwan 17 years 179 days Delhi Daredevils 2008 Left-arm pacer 6 Sarfaraz Khan 17 years 182 days Royal Challengers Bangalore 2015 Middle-order batter 7 Washington Sundar 17 years 199 days Rising Pune Supergiants 2017 All-rounder 8 Rahul Chahar 17 years 247 days Rising Pune Supergiants 2017 Leg spinner 9 Abhishek Sharma 17 years 250 days Delhi Capitals 2018 Batting all-rounder 10 Ishan Kishan 17 years 262 days Gujarat Lions 2017 Wicketkeeper batter 11 Ayush Mhatre 17 years 278 days Chennai Super Kings 2025 Batter