Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene talked about why all-rounder Mitchell Santner recently missed the IPL 2026 clash. The left-arm spinner suffered a right shoulder injury while diving during the match against Delhi Capitals (DC), due to which he had to be ruled out of the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Mumbai Indians lost by 27 runs in a rain-interrupted match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, April 7. The team led by Riyan Parag achieved a big win in the 11 over match. Hardik Pandya and his team faced their second consecutive defeat in the tournament.
He was not 100 per cent ready – Mahela Jayawardene on Mitchell Santner’s injury
Mitchell Santner suffered an injury to his non-bowling shoulder while attempting to save a four during the 14th over against Delhi Capitals. The New Zealand all-rounder stopped bowling in that match after an economical spell, conceding 22 runs and dismissing Pathum Nissanka.
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After the defeat against Rajasthan Royals, Mahela Jayawardene revealed that the overseas all-rounder has been rested. He said the team took the precautionary measure because Santner did not feel fully ready to play the match.
“Mitch had a bit of a problem in the last game. As a precaution, he was not 100 per cent ready to play this game. Hopefully, he will be fully fit for our next game,” Mahela Jayawardene told reporters during the official post-match press conference in Guwahati.
Allah Ghazanfar impresses after replacing Mitchell Santner
Mumbai Indians made three changes in their lineup. The management was not completely satisfied, as Santner had suffered an injury to his non-bowling shoulder. Hardik Pandya and Trent Boult returned to the playing eleven in place of Corbin Bosch and Mayank Markande.
MI chose Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar in place of Santner against Rajasthan Royals. Despite the high-scoring innings, Ghazanfar put in an impressive performance. The spinner took two important wickets giving just 21 runs in two overs.
Ghazanfar removed Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag, who scored a quickfire 20 off 10 balls. He also dismissed wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel cheaply. However, his economical spell was not enough to prevent the home team from scoring 150 runs.
Mumbai Indians are waiting for Will Jacques before the match against RCB
The 27-run defeat left Mumbai Indians at the bottom of the IPL points table. After two consecutive defeats, Mumbai Indians are currently in seventh place. They also have a lower net run rate compared to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Hardik Pandya’s team will host defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 12. The visiting team is in strong form after winning its opening match. The home team needs a convincing win to revive their campaign before the playoff race heats up.
Mumbai Indians are likely to get a promotion soon. Mahela Jayawardene confirmed that England all-rounder Will Jacks will rejoin the squad after a short family leave. His return will add batting firepower and bowling depth for the upcoming matches.
The head coach said, “Will has still not joined the team, we hope he will join the team soon.”
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