Also, CSK continued to struggle during the powerplay. They continued to do so in Friday's do-or-die match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and once again, the top order failed to create a good platform. Of the normally so very dependable openers of CSK, top-order dependency on failure has become a recurring theme in IPL 2025. The IPL five-time champions have tried four different opening pairs, none of which have clicked, and their batting lineup has struggled to match the fast-scoring tempo of modern-day T20 cricket. At the third position, four players have rotated, but only Ruturaj Gaikwad could find consistency until he injured himself and was ruled out for the season. To overcome the issue, CSK had a rescue in the form of 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre. The boy has shown promise with his aggressive intent from the very first ball. In two outings, he has been at a strike rate of 182.35. Mhatre impressively scored at least a boundary off 34.5 percent of the powerplay deliveries, which is a contrast to the rest of the CSK lineup, who on occasions scored one boundary every 18 balls, striking at a meek 120. CSK batters in Powerplay this season: Mhatre: SR 186, Bnd% 34.5, 6s hit 2 Others: SR 119, Bnd% 17.8, 6s hit 3 CSK in the powerplay in IPL 2025: vs RCB in Chennai: 30/3 vs KKR in Chennai: 31/2 vs RR in Guwahati: 42/1 vs DC in Chennai: 46/3 vs MI in Mumbai: 48/1 vs SRH in Chennai: 50/3 vs PBKS in Mullanpur: 59/0 vs LSG in Lucknow: 59/1 vs MI in Chennai: 62/1 Also Read | Watch: Ishan Kishan fumes after bizarre dismissal vs MI Thus far in IPL 2025, CSK has only once managed to sail through the powerplay without losing a wicket; on four other occasions, it has lost two or more wickets in the first six overs. Their average run rate in this phase is just 7.9, which is far below the IPL average. At present, CSK has registered the lowest powerplay scoring rate this season. In contrast, SRH and DC, the next two worst teams, score 9.27 runs per over.