IPL 2026: Mitchell Santner concussion substitute sparks controversy, Jayawardene responds
MI vs CSK IPL 2026: Mahela Jayawardene explains Mitchell Santner’s concussion substitute decision after controversy in Mumbai Indians’ record loss.
MI vs CSK IPL 2026: Mahela Jayawardene explains Mitchell Santner’s concussion substitute decision after controversy in Mumbai Indians’ record loss.
The Black Caps had entered the title clash full of confidence after upsetting South Africa in the semi-finals. However, they were outplayed by the tournament co-hosts, suffering a 96-run defeat.
“I wouldn't mind winning a trophy,” Santner said in the press conference on Saturday.
Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull thinks the Black Caps will not be fazed by the nature of the soil in the pitch for Sunday’s Men’s T20 World Cup final against India, to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
However, India’s record at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been far from convincing.
India left out Ishan Kishan due to a niggle and replaced him with an extra bowler in Arshdeep Singh but the plan didn’t work out in terms of the eventual outcome as the hosts lost the contest by 50 runs.
India’s ruthless batting, spearheaded by Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, has steamrolled New Zealand into a 3-0 hole, masking shortcomings that would otherwise have drawn sharper scrutiny.
Abhishek Sharma is batting as if the calendar never turned from 2025, Rinku Singh has slipped back into finishing duties with effortless assurance, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s much-discussed training-ground fluency has finally translated into match-day impact in the second T20I in Raipur on Friday.
Rohit rose two spots following his unbeaten century in the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney, where he guided India to a commanding nine-wicket victory.
New Zealand's bowling brigade of Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne and Jacob Duffy claimed two wickets each while Tim Seifert slammed an unbeaten half-century as the BlackCaps outplayed South Africa in the Zimbabwe T20I Tri-series match here on Tuesday.
