The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has already seen its first round of matches being concluded. On Thursday, the second round of the matches began with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens. Mumbai Indians (MI), who had a brilliant start to their campaign, will be facing Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, 4th April.
Ahead of the MI’s second match, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has joined the side in Delhi and is expected to be available for MI’s next match against DC. The five-time champions won their opening game of the IPL after 2012, beating KKR by 6 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium last Sunday. It will be a huge boost for the side with Santner in the squad.
Mitchell Santner will replace?
MI will be looking to try to continue their winning momentum and look for a win in the next game against DC. Mumbai Indians’ bowling will be a concern as the side heavily relies on Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult has not been at his very best in the first game.
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🚨 Mitchell Santner has joined the MI squad today in Delhi.
Santner is expected to be available for MI’s next match against DC on Saturday (April 4).#IPL2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/W6rIfDHkbe
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) April 2, 2026
Mitchell Santner will bring a lot of balance to the side, as he has been an excellent bowler in T20 cricket, and can bat lower down the order. The Kiwi captain also took the Black Caps to the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but ended up on the losing side against India.
Mitchell Santner has been an improved player with the bat and has been scoring runs towards the end of the innings. He might replace Allah Ghazanfar in the squad, as the Afghanistan spinner did not have the best of a debut against KKR in the first game and went for 51/0 in his four overs.
Mitchell Santner can add more balance to MI squad
The Kiwi captain will also add his captaincy experience to Hardik Pandya in the MI squad. Santner was retained by MI ahead of the mini-auction for the price of INR 2 crore. The all-rounder picked 10 wickets last season with an economy of 7.92; this has been one of the reasons for retaining Mitchell Santner.
In Wankhede, where the spinners do not have much, he has bowled well. Santner will be a crucial addition to the squad. MI has been one of the best squads in the tournament with the depth they have for every cricketer in the side. Though their pace bowling has been a slight concern.
Mumbai Indians openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton were on fire last night and scored 148 for the first wicket. The former looked in absolute belter form and scored 78, with Rickelton scoring 81 and taking the game away from KKR.
MI will look for a similar kind of start in the second game as well, on a wicket of Delhi, which helps the batters, especially in an afternoon game. Once the opener gets the start, MI have a lot firepower in the middle order and the back end to post a big total.
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