He was signed by Mumbai Indians at his base price of INR 30 lakh.
Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign took another major hit when Mumbai Indians player Atharva Ankolekar was stretchered off the field after an unusual injury during the match against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, January 23.
The 25-year-old all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar tore his meniscus while fielding and is likely to be out for four to six weeks. This casts doubt over his participation in the IPL 2026 for the Mumbai Indians.
The injury occurred when Ankolekar, fielding at long-on, slid to stop a boundary. His knee twisted awkwardly, and he collapsed on the ground, holding his leg in clear pain. The medical staff rushed to him, and he was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher.
What made the situation more alarming was the difficulty in moving Ankolekar out of the stadium. He was seen crying and in immense pain as he was moved in the ambulance. The delay in his transfer from the stadium to the ambulance was likely due to renovation work at the venue for the upcoming IPL season, managed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Before the unfortunate injury, the all-rounder made a significant contribution with the bat. Coming in lower down the order, he scored a quick 35 off 22 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six, providing final flourishes, which saw Mumbai post a mammoth 560 in the first innings. His all-round skills were vital, particularly with Mumbai’s increasing injury list.
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Atharva Ankolekar’s injury has put Mumbai in deep trouble as they are already missing multiple players. The team will have to finish the match with only one main spinner, Musheer Khan, providing support with left-arm orthodox spin. Ankolekar was a last-minute replacement for left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, who was ruled out after an injury and had to return to Mumbai for further evaluation. Off-spinner Tanush Kotian was also sidelined earlier in the match due to a hand injury.
The 23-year-old Onkar Tarmale replaced him in the game against Hyderabad after the new BCCI rules on ‘Serious Injury Replacement’ only allow substitutes from the 15-man squad. Mumbai had replaced a spinner with a pacer because there were no other spinners available.
“Atharva Ankolekar has torn his ligament and will miss the rest of the domestic season. Pacer Onkar Tarmale will take his place in the XI for this match,” says a Times of India report.
Onkar Tarmale, who received his maiden IPL contract from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the upcoming season, has played four List A matches for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 and may make his First-Class debut in the next game.
The five-time champions signed him at a base price of INR 30 lakh at the mini auction held in December. This is his maiden IPL contract, but the timing of the injury to Atharva Ankolkar is troubling for MI. They will be closely tracking his recovery as IPL 2026 approaches, as he serves as a like-for-like replacement for Mitchell Santner. Although the initial reports indicate that Atharva Ankolekar might return in a month and a half, this raises concerns over his match fitness and game time before the crucial tournament.
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