With their hopes of making the IPL 2025 playoffs all but gone, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are hoping to ease the transition into the next season by bringing in young players like 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, who turned 22 on the eve of CSK’s game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), to see how they perform at the highest level. In the past, CSK has helped revive the careers of India internationals like Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube.
On Tuesday, batting coach Michael Hussey discussed the young players they have available to them and said that CSK must improve their ability to find and develop them. At the press conference, he stated, “I think that talent identification side of things is one area that we’ve really identified that we want to improve on.”
As a result, we have had a variety of players practice with us at different points in time, essentially on trial, but we have also had a chance to view them when their names are put up for auction. We receive all of the films, packages, and other materials, after all. However, it does give you a little more to go on when you can see them in person.
For the first time in the history of the IPL, four uncapped Indian hitters will open the game on Wednesday. CSK has resorted to Mhatre, who pleased their club management during a mid-season trial in Chepauk, and Andhra’s Shaik Rasheed, who had not participated in the IPL prior to this season, after using Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, and Rahul Tripathi as openers with little success.
After putting the two and Brevis through match-simulation training at their high-performance academy on the outskirts of Chennai, CSK has included them into their squad. In order to get ready for subcontinent tours, certain international players, including as those from New Zealand and the West Indies, have lately trained at the academy.
“If we can play some practice games, see them [youngsters] under pressure, we can make more informed decisions about the talent that we’re looking at moving forward,” Hussey stated. “So, I believe they’re investing a lot of time and energy in this area to ensure that we have the best people going forward.
“These choices are crucial ones. This country is full of talented people; the key is to choose the right ones. Without a doubt, we will continue to make mistakes. However, I believe that the franchise will benefit going forward if we are able to make better-informed judgements.”
Hussey thought that if not now, then at least in the future, CSK may gain from the efforts made by the players and academy staff.
“Yeah, even in situations like this [playoff hopes fading], as a coaching group, we’re looking for ways that we can do things better as well,” he stated. And that high-performance centre is an amazing facility. We should make use of it since it’s a great resource for us. Additionally, to be able to place players in practice games that are more similar to the actual game. We can bat in the nets, and that’s all well and good, but it’s more realistic to put them through a match-like scenario during practice.
Hussey added that in order for the rookie players to advance by the 2026 Indian Premier League, the CSK club management would continue to keep a close eye on their development in domestic competitions and leagues. Despite starting both of his innings thus far, Mhatre was unable to maintain his pace. In spite of his strong debut performance (27 off 19), Rasheed’s most recent knock was a first-ball duck. Brevis opened up and hit 42 off 25 after being 17 off 17 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“Shaik Rasheed’s a good example [of a young player coming through the ranks],” Hussey stated. He is a terrific talent who has been with us for a few seasons at the very least. However, you’re correct—we must ascertain his capacity for handling pressure. So, absolutely, he has his chance now, and he’s doing a good job of handling it right now. It goes without saying that he will aim to score more runs in the latter part of the season. However, he undoubtedly possesses the talent and skill necessary to succeed.
“We’ll continue to work with them and closely monitor them while they’re performing their domestic duties. It involves more than simply working with them for these two and a half months; it also entails interacting and working with them for the remainder of the year to observe how they’re doing, especially under pressure, and to learn about their mindset.”
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