Raina's 17 year old record destroyed… Ayush Mhatre beats 'Mr. IPL', know his journey from golden duck to 'golden knock'

New Delhi. Chennai Super Kings' young batsman Ayush Mhatre shattered the historical record of veteran Suresh Raina by playing a courageous inning of 73 runs against Punjab Kings. Chepauk's M.A. A new era began at Chidambaram Stadium. Chennai Super Kings fans kept calling Suresh Raina as 'Chinna Thala' for years. But now an 18 year old boy has registered his name in golden letters in that legacy. In the thrilling IPL match against Punjab Kings, Ayush Mhatre did what no one could do in the last 17 years. Leaving Suresh Raina behind, he has made the record of being the youngest to score a half-century for CSK.

Journey from Golden Duck to 'Golden Knock'
The beginning of this season was like a nightmare for Ayush Mhatre. He was the victim of a 'golden duck' (out on the very first ball) in the opening match against Gujarat Titans. For a young player, such a debut on such a big stage is mentally shattering, but Mhatre had different intentions. When Sanju Samson returned to the pavilion in the second over against Punjab Kings, Mhatre once again had to come to the field early to face the new ball. He looked a little uneasy in the beginning, it took time to find the rhythm, but his intention was clear – captain Rituraj Gaikwad would play the role of anchor and Mhatre would attack.

Wreaked havoc in power play
Mhatre chose the fourth over to open his hands. He targeted Xavier Bartlett, who dismissed Sanju Samson, and gave momentum to CSK's innings by scoring 15 runs in that over. After this, he did not spare even experienced bowlers like Vijaykumar Vaishakh and Arshdeep Singh. The result of his aggressive batting was that he achieved the distinction of becoming the batsman with the second highest strike rate in the IPL powerplay after 2025, defeating Ajinkya Rahane.

Raina's record broken and new Sultan of Chepauk
After the powerplay was over, Mhatre engaged 'fifth gear'. He forced the spectators present in the stadium to dance by hitting two consecutive sixes off South African fast bowler Marco Johnson. He showed the same aggression against Marcus Stoinis and completed his half-century in just 29 balls.

Struggling innings and luck
However, this was not Mhatre's most fluent innings. Contrary to his natural style, he was using more power on the leg side. As soon as the spin came, Yuzvendra Chahal started troubling him, but it was as if the fielders of Punjab Kings had sworn not to send Mhatre to the pavilion. He got two lives on personal scores of 59 and 67. The interesting thing is that both times the bowler was Chahal, but the fielders (Vaishakh and Shashank Singh) dropped catches. Ultimately, it was Vijaykumar Vaishakh who dismissed him when an outside edge went to short third man. Look at the game of destiny, the fielder there was none other than Yuzvendra Chahal, who did not make any mistake this time.