Mumbai Indians were allowed to bring in Shardul Thakur as a concussion substitute for Mitchell Santner during the IPL 2026 clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Here's how the replacement was approved.
Mitchell Santner suffered an injury during the 17th over of the first innings while taking a catch of Kartik Sharma. He injured his shoulder while completing a low diving catch. He had dived forward to take a good catch and, in the process, ended up hurting his shoulder.
But in the second innings, after using Danish Malewar as the Impact Player, Mumbai Indians also used a concussion substitute by bringing in Shardul Thakur to bat when they were 85/6 in the 13th over.
This raised some questions about how they were allowed to do so, as Mitchell Santner appeared to have suffered a shoulder injury. A concussion substitute is generally allowed only in cases of a head or neck injury.
Mahela Jayawardene explains how concussion substitute was approved for Mitchell Santner
Speaking at the post match press conference, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said Mitchell Santner first hit his head while taking the catch, along with impact on his neck and shoulder. He later went for scans as he was not feeling stable. Mumbai Indians then requested a concussion substitute, which was approved by the match referee and umpires, allowing Shardul Thakur to come in.
"Santner hit his head first, the neck and obviously, the shoulder as well. He then went for a scan. Once he got back, he felt dizziness and 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," Jayawardene said.
"We requested a concussion sub. It's at the match referee and the umpires' discretion: They allowed Shardul Thakur," he added.
If we look at the replays, he did get a hit on the head. Therefore, in that case, Mumbai Indians were allowed to use a concussion substitute.
Before the injury, Mitchell Santner completed his full quota of overs, conceding 44 runs and taking one wicket.
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How IPL rules allowed Shardul Thakur to replace Mitchell Santner as a concussion sub
A concussion replacement in IPL is allowed when a player suffers a head injury or suspected concussion during a match. According to the rule, the team can request a replacement who must be a like for like substitute for the injured player, meaning the replacement should have a similar role and skill set.
In this case, Shardul Thakur was approved because the match officials agreed he was a suitable like for like replacement after Mitchell Santner's suspected concussion.
Mumbai Indians collapse in chase to suffer heaviest IPL defeat
Speaking about the match, Mumbai Indians, after conceding 207/6 in the first innings, were bowled out for just 103 in reply. No batter managed to make a big impact. This was also their heaviest defeat in IPL history.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma scored 30 plus runs each, but it was not enough as they suffered their fifth defeat of the season in seven matches.
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