New Delhi: In a significant development for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), star fast bowler Spencer Johnson has joined the squad ahead of their highly anticipated El Clásico against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23. CSK announced Johnson’s arrival through a social media post, highlighting his addition as a key reinforcement following the loss of Ayush Mhatre to injury.
Johnson was brought in as an injury replacement for fellow Australian Nathan Ellis and has been signed by the franchise for ₹1.5 crore. The announcement from CSK included a caption stating, “Need for speed? Here comes Spencer,” alongside a photo of the Australian pacer.
With the absence of Khaleel Ahmed for the remainder of the season due to a quadriceps injury, Johnson’s return adds substantial depth to the CSK bowling attack. The tall fast bowler primarily excels as a new-ball bowler but also has impressive statistics in the middle and death overs. He has claimed 21 wickets in 37 innings during the death overs in T20 cricket, maintaining an economy rate of 8.55 runs per over and achieving a bowling average of 16.9 runs.
In another setback for CSK, young batter Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out for the rest of the ongoing IPL season due to a hamstring injury sustained while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18. The franchise confirmed in an official statement that Mhatre would require a rehabilitation period of approximately four months to achieve full fitness. The statement read, “Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18. Ayush’s injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks. We wish Ayush a speedy recovery.”
