Ayush Mhatre advised to not imitate Vaibhav’s journey urged to craft his own path

The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League has witnessed some of the rarest moments and has truly lived up to its reputation as a platform to provide youngsters a stage to showcase and get ahead in their cricketing careers. Two such examples are Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre, who have stunned fans with incredible batting and explosiveness. Despite an impressive knock from Mhatre, he has been advised not to copy his fellow young mate, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

The 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre has been signed by CSK as a replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad, and it didn’t take long for him to carve out his name in the tournament. Facing RCB, Mhatre smashed 94 runs, hitting 5 sixes and 9 fours, and led the team to the last over, but ultimately lost it to RCB by 2 runs. 

Mhatre has accumulated 163 runs in four innings, averaging 40.75 with an impressive strike rate of 185.22. Despite his solid start to the IPL season, Mhatre’s father, Yogesh, has cautioned him against trying to emulate Vaibhav Suryavanshi, emphasizing that the two have distinct batting styles. Notably, 14-year-old Suryavanshi recently made headlines by becoming the youngest player to score a T20 century, achieving the feat in just 35 balls against Gujarat Titans.

“I’ve told Ayush that he and Vaibhav are two very different batsmen and that if someone compares him with Vaibhav, he should not keep that in mind. I have also told him not to try to imitate Vaibhav or look to score a century like him. I believe there is absolutely no need for Ayush to take any pressure upon himself and try to do big things. He has a long way to go,” Yogesh told Mid-Day.

Mhatre’s conversation with MS Dhoni

Mhatre also revealed his conversation with MS Dhoni, and mentioned that, the legendary Captain Cool has advised him to keep performing well. “Dhoni calmly said to Ayush, ‘Well played. Aage isi tarah achha karte rehna hai’ [in future you have to keep performing well just like this]. It may have been just a few words but, coming from Dhoni, who Ayush respects immensely, the words mean a lot. It felt that Dhoni was showing belief in Ayush’s ability by entrusting him with an important responsibility going forward,” he added.