The Proteas spinner has played only two IPL matches so far.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been sidelined for the remainder of the IPL 2026 due to a left shoulder injury. Following the setback, the franchise has roped in South African spinner Keshav Maharaj as Mitchell Santner replacement for their remaining matches of the season.
Previously, he picked up the injury while grabbing a catch during their latest clash at home against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Apart from hurting his shoulder, Santner had also hit his head on the ground. MI had included Shardul Thakur as a concussion substitute in their line-up as the player could not come in to bat during their chase.
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The absence of the star New Zealand all-rounder would be a huge blow for the side. He snared five wickets at an economy of 8.92 and scored 26 runs in four appearances of the edition. However, the ninth-placed team will want an impactful contribution from Maharaj in the second-half of the IPL 2026, after acquiring him as the Mitchell Santner replacement.
Notably, another spinner of the MI bowling attack, AM Ghazanfar, has enjoyed a decent outing, scalping eight wickets in five matches. But the five-time champions are already in a lot of trouble, winning only two matches of their eight fixtures so far. It is high time for them to turn around the underwhelming season.
Earlier, Maharaj was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2024. But the 36-year-old had featured in only two games of the season, snaring as many wickets at an impressive economy of 6.50. However, the Proteas spinner is coming off a brilliant SA20 2025, bagging 12 scalps in as many fixtures.
He was also the highest wicket-taker for the Pretoria Capitals in the latest season of South Africa’s premier T20 league. The MI fans would hope for a similar show from him in the tournament to keep their IPL 2026 playoff chances alive.
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