Mumbai Indians (MI) coach Mahela Jayawardene opened up about the concussion substitutes involving Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the IPL 2026 season. Jayawardene justified the replacement amid the controversy surrounding the incident, saying that Mitchell Santner was not stable.
Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23. The visiting team scored a total of 207 runs and then bowled out the five-time champions for just 104 runs in 20 overs. He achieved a spectacular victory of 103 runs with a strong all-round performance in the entire match.
| Mitchell Santner – Bowling vs CSK (IPL 2026) | ||||||||
|
over |
it goes | wickets | economy | Dots | 4s | 6s | ||
| 4 | 44 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Wicket: Sarfaraz Khan | ||||||||
| Ball: 5.4 | ||||||||
| Description: Tossed delivery with flight and dip; Sarfaraz missed the sweep and was bowled. | ||||||||
Mitchell Santner hits his head first – Mahela Jayawardene on controversial concussion substitution
In the 17th over of the first innings, Mitchell Santner completed a diving catch to dismiss Karthik Sharma, but immediately injured his shoulder. He was seen in pain and walked off the field after initial treatment.
Mumbai Indians later requested a concussion substitute. This unexpected move sparked widespread debate, as concussion replacements are typically reserved for head injuries. Mahela Jayawardene said Santner hit her on the head and neck before hitting her on the shoulder.
Jayawardene said, “Santner first hit his head, neck and obviously also his shoulder. Then he went for a scan. When he came back, he was lying down. Yes, there was ice on the shoulder, but they felt he was not stable, so we took him for a scan in that position.”
This match is at the discretion of the referee and umpires – Mahela Jayawardene
Under the IPL playing conditions, teams can only request a concussion substitute in cases of confirmed or suspected head or neck injury. The request must be approved by the match referee, who ensures that the replacement is a like-matched player without giving any unfair advantage.
Mahela Jayawardene said that Mumbai Indians followed the proper procedure by submitting the request to the match referee and umpires. He said that the team is hopeful that Mitchell Santner’s injury is not serious.
Jayawardene said, “We requested a concussion sub. It is at the discretion of the match referee and umpires. They allowed Shardul Thakur. But hopefully Santner’s injury is not too bad. Once he comes back, we will take a look at it.”
Sanju Samson’s century and Akeal Hosein’s spell power CSK to victory over MI
Chennai Super Kings put in an effective batting performance, before the substitution controversy dominated the game. Sanju Samson scored a brilliant unbeaten 101 runs in 54 balls. He took charge of the innings and stepped up at crucial moments to take his team to a strong score of 207 runs.
While defending the target, Chennai Super Kings executed their plans with the ball very well. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein made a big impact in the powerplay. He took four important wickets for just 17 runs and quickly broke the momentum of Mumbai Indians’ batting lineup while chasing the target.
Mumbai Indians never recovered from the early collapse and struggled throughout the innings. Concussion substitute Shardul Thakur failed to make an impact and was out after scoring only six runs, leading to the batting unit disintegrating under pressure and ultimately getting out cheaply to hand Chennai a comprehensive win.
Also Read: “I probably wouldn’t agree with it” – Irfan Pathan on MS Dhoni’s return to CSK XI for MI clash
