Shardul Thakur subbed in 7th over, still not used (Screengrab/Willow TV)
Mumbai IndiansSurprising use of ‘ Shardul Thakur An Impact Sub has sparked a wave of criticism from fans after the all-rounder was introduced in the seventh over of the MI vs SRH fixture in IPL 2026, despite the MI bowlers enduring a tough day with the ball at Wankhede.The move quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the match, with fans questioning the logic behind bringing in a frontline sevens bowling all-rounder and then not using him at all.
With 243 on the board, MI suffered a rude shock as Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head reached 115/0 in just seven overs. MI, who made a number of changes to their playing XI, decided to sub out wicket-keeper batsman Robin Munns in favor of Thakur, hoping to break the partnership and gain an extra bowling cushion.But Thakur didn’t get bowled as SRH cruised home chasing the record with an over to spare. On a day when every MI bowler was taken to the cleaners, it was a surprising move not to bowl Thakur to stem the flow of runs from the SRH batsmen.Trent Boult conceded 41 runs in his four overs, while Jasprit Bumrah endured a forgettable day, returning figures of 4-0-54-0. Allah Ghazanfar also leaked runs by conceding 51 runs in his four overs despite taking two wickets, while Ashwini Kumar returned figures of 2-0-41-0. Hardik Pandya went at an economy of 10.63, while Will Jacks’ lone over took 19 runs. Yet, there was no sign of Thakur, who has taken 113 wickets in 112 matches in the IPL and is generally known as a partnership breaker.Here’s how social media reacted to the strange decision:
SRH demolish MI in Wankhede.
The MI bowlers were taken apart by the SRH batsmen, with none conceding less than 10 runs per over. Notably, the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 0/54 in four overs.
Poll
Will MI bounce back in the next match after this defeat?
Mumbai Indians, thanks to Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 123 off 55 balls, made 243/5 in 20 overs after electing to bat first. However, led by Travis Head (76 off 30 balls), Henrik Klaasen (65 off 30*), Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24*) and Salil Arora (30 off 10*), Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down the target with eight balls to spare.
