CSK vs SRH / This was seen for the 5th time in IPL, the opening pair became part of the record book

Chennai Super Kings fielded a young opening pair, Ayush Mhatre and Sheikh Rashid, both under the age of 21, in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Although the team lost the first wicket without opening the account, the pair still entered the record books.

CSK vs SRH: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium in a crucial match of IPL 2025. After losing the toss, CSK got a chance to bat first, and this time the team took an interesting and historic decision—two young faces, Ayush Mhatre and Sheikh Rashid, were sent to the field as the opening pair to start the innings. This decision was not only a strategic experiment but also became a memorable moment in the history of IPL.

Fifth opening pair under 21 years of age

The pair of Ayush Mhatre and Sheikh Rashid has become only the fifth opening pair in IPL history in which both the players are under 21 years of age. Earlier in 2016, the pair of Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant had made such a start. Such young pairs were also seen in 2020 and 2022, but in 2025, this new pair of CSK not only brought freshness but also exposed the possibilities of the future.

Setback at the beginning of the innings, but a glimpse of hope

While on one hand Sheikh Rashid got out on the first ball without opening the account at the beginning of his IPL career, 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre took the responsibility and played a quick innings of 30 runs in 19 balls. There was a glimpse of confidence and technique in his batting, which clearly shows that CSK has not taken any risk by giving him a chance, but has made a long-term investment.

Second youngest opening pair of IPL

Interestingly, in terms of age, this pair has become the second youngest opening pair in IPL history. The first position has been taken by the pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who opened at a combined age of 37 years 135 days, while the combined age of Ayush and Sheikh was 38 years 131 days.

Effect of trust on youth

This move of CSK shows that the team is now looking towards the future and is adopting a policy of grooming young players by giving them a chance on the big stage. Even though this pair could not make a big impact in the first match, their names have now been recorded in the record books and this experience will further strengthen their game.