Ayush Mhatre in action during IPL 2026© X (formerly Twitter)
The IPL 2026 encounter between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings witnessed a bizarre incident after Ayush Mhatre failed the bat test twice due to the on-field umpire’s mistake. Mhatre came out to bat after Sanju Samson‘s dismissal against Xavier Bartlett but his bat did not pass through the gauge. A CSK player came out with another bat but once again, it did not pass the test. However, the umpire tested Mhatre’s first bat again and realised that he was not holding the gauge in the proper manner. As a result, the first bat was deemed suitable for use and the match was resumed after some time.
Commentator Ian Bishop was left stunned by the incident as he remarked – “The gauge was upside down”.
Coming to the match, Mhatre top-scored with a 43-ball 73 as Chennai Super Kings posted 209 for five against Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match.
Sent into bat first, CSK rode on a 96-run partnership for the second wicket between Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad (28 off 22 balls) to lay the foundation for a competitive total at Chepauk.
Sarfaraz Khan played some fine shots en route to 32 off just 12 balls, while Shivam Dube made an unbeaten 45 in 27 balls.
(With agency inputs)