Mumbai Indians have signed South African left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj As a replacement for the injured Mitchell Santner.
Maharaj is one of the most experienced left-arm spinners in the world. The 36-year-old joined the five-time champions for a fee of Rs 75 lakh, which was his registered base price in the auction ahead of the 2026 season.
A regular player across all formats for South Africa, Maharaj has played 218 T20Is, taking 191 wickets at an economy of 7.12. He recently led the South African team for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand after the end of the T20 World Cup, which saw most of the regular players absent due to IPL preparations. He participated in two IPL matches representing Rajasthan Royals in 2024. He took two wickets at an economy of 6.50 in those two matches.
he replaces michel santnerWho injured his left shoulder while taking a catch in Mumbai Indians' 104-run loss to arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. Diving forward to complete a catch off Jasprit Bumrah while positioned at deep square leg, Santner fell awkwardly, with his head also hitting the turf. After completing the catch, he was seen holding his left shoulder and had to be immediately taken off the field.
Controversy arose when Santner was dismissed in the Mumbai Indians batting innings and Shardul Thakur came in as a concussion substitute. Coach Mahela Jayawardene later confirmed in the post-match press conference that the decision was taken after Santner also became unconscious after hitting his head on the turf.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jayawardene said, “Santner first hit his head, neck and obviously also his shoulder. Then he went for a scan. When he came back he felt dizzy, so he lay down. Yes, there was ice on the shoulder, but they felt he was not stable, so we took him for a scan in that position.”
Mumbai Indians They have won only two of their first seven matches in IPL 2026, and are placed ninth in the table. They will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on April 29.
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