3 min readUpdated: Apr 24, 2026 11:42 AM IST
One of the talking points in Mumbai’s Indians’ 103-run defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday evening at the Wankhede Stadium was the home side’s use of Shardul Thakur as a “concussion substitute” after Mitchell Santner injured himself.
The New Zealand captain injured himself in the 17th over of the first innings when he dived to catch CSK’s Kartik Sharma in the deep off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling. While Santner managed to hang on to the catch, the Mumbai Indians spinner injured himself in the process. Replays show that he hit the left side of his head on the ground after the same time his shoulder hit the ground hard. But in the game, the head touching the ground was not as visible as his shoulder smashing into the ground.
Excellently judged 👌
Mitchell Santner with a fine diving catch in the deep 👏👏
1⃣st wicket of the night for Jasprit Bumrah ☝️
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/gGt34dqUoq#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #MIvCSK | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/5EyRNf9kCb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 23, 2026
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
At that stage, Santner had already bowled his maximum allowed quota of four overs, conceding 44 runs and picking up one wicket. After he walked off the pitch, cameras caught him sitting in the Mumbai Indians dugout with a sling to support his shoulder.
Mumbai Indians had named Danish Malewar, coming in for Allah Ghazanfar, as their impact sub of the night.
When Shardul Thakur walked out to bat for Mumbai Indians in the second innings with their chase going horribly wrong, social media was abuzz with questions about how Shardul could replace Santner as a concussion sub.
Mitchell Santner of Mumbai Indians takes a catch to dismiss Kartik Sharma of Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2026 match at Wankhede Stadium. (Photo: Vipin Pawar / CREIMAS for IPL)
Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene was also asked about the decision at his post-match press conference.
“Santner hit his head first, the neck and obviously, the shoulder as well. He then went for a scan. Once he got back, he was lying down. Yes, the ice was there for the shoulder, but he felt that he wasn’t stable, so we took him for a scan in that situation,” Mumbai Indians’ Jayawardene said.
Story continues below this ad
ALSO READ | Mahela Jayawardene reacts to Hardik Pandya’s poor form in IPL 2026: ‘Not a concern’
“We requested a concussion sub. It’s at the match referee and the umpires’ discretion. They allowed Shardul Thakur. It is what it is. But hopefully, Santner’s injury isn’t too bad. Once he’s back, we’ll have a look at it,” he added.
Not that the switch made too much of a difference, with Shardul scoring six runs from 12 balls for Mumbai Indians before getting dismissed.
