IPL 2026: How did Shardul Thakur came out to bat for MI vs CSK despite not being in XI?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Shardul Thakur was not named in MI’s playing XI in the clash.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locked horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Thursday, April 23. The encounter took place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where CSK completely dominated with their batting.
Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field first in the clash. His decision turned out to be horrible as CSK batters smacked MI bowlers all over the park. With a stunning century by Sanju Samson, they piled up a mammoth total of 207/6.
MI lost their wickets like a house of cards in the chase and were left reeling at 85 for six. It was then when Shardul Thakur, who wasn’t in the XI, walked out to bat. This made many wonder as how it happened despite him not being even the impact player.
How did Shardul Thakur come out to bat in MI vs CSK clash?
Notably, Thakur came out to bat as a replacement for injured Mitchell Santner. The New Zealand T20I captain was injured while attempting a catch of Kartik Sharma in the first innings. Thakur was picked as a concussion substitute. However, he could only score six runs before losing his wicket.
In the chase, MI succumbed to the pressure from the start. They lost Danish Malewar and Naman Dhir for ducks, while Quinton de Kock was gone for seven runs. Suryakumar Yadav (36) and Tilak Varma (37) were the highest run-scorers as MI lost most of their batters for single digits.
For CSK, Akeal Hosein clinched a four-wicket haul while Noor Ahmad picked two wickets. Mukesh Choudhary, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, and Gurjapneet Singh picked one scalp each. The hosts were bowled out for just 104 runs, losing by a huge margin of 103 runs.
How did Shardul Thakur come out to bat in MI vs CSK clash despite not being named in the playing XI?
He was picked as a concussion substitute for Mitchell Santner.
What injury did Mitchell Santner suffer in MI vs CSK clash?
He sustained a shoulder injury in the encounter.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.