Outrage built fast when the Mumbai Indians swapped in Shardul Thakur early, only for him to sit idle through every bowling spell. Though brought on in the seventh over, the move stunned fans; MI’s pace unit faltered, yet he never took the ball. The decision sparked confusion under the Wankhede lights, where plans unravelled faster than expected. Watching from the sidelines, Thakur remained unused while runs piled up without check.
Right away, people started talking. Fans scratched their heads. Why pick someone known for grabbing wickets, then leave him on the bench? As MI’s bowlers got hammered, leaving out Thakur felt worse. Each one over without him poured salt on the doubt. The choice didn’t sit right, growing heavier with every run scored.
Shardul Thakur’s Impact Sub call backfires as Mumbai Indians miss a trick
Has it ever happened that a team got in an Impact Substitute as a bowler and didn’t get him to bowl even a single over.
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 29, 2026
Happened with Shardul tonight.
Out at 243, the Mumbai Indians seemed steady until Abhishek Sharma paired with Travis Head and tore through the chase, reaching 115 in barely seven overs. Then came a shift: Minz stepped aside, Shardul Thakur walked in, MI reshaping their attack midstream, hoping to split the duo before it was too late.
Still, the plan didn’t work at all. Thakur never got to bowl, watching from the sidelines while SRH reached their target easily, well before time ran out. Every other MI bowler faltered under pressure that afternoon. Yet leaving him idle through the entire innings made people wonder what the thinking behind such choices was.
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Trent Boult let loose 41 runs across four overs. Jasprit Bumrah, usually tidy, ended up giving away 54 without a wicket. Two wickets came to Allah Ghazanfar, though he spilt 51 runs into the field. In only two overs, Ashwani Kumar surrendered 41. Hardik Pandya, leading the side, didn’t escape either; his spell hurt too. Just one over from Will Jacks vanished for 19. All along, Thakur stayed off the pitch, despite crossing 100 IPL wickets and breaking stands when needed.
A scorching 123 not out from Ryan Rickelton, reached in just 55 deliveries, lifted the Mumbai Indians to a massive 243 for 5. Yet Sunrisers Hyderabad fired back hard, Travis Head blasted 76 in 30, Klaasen matched it with 65 off 30, Sharma added 45 quickly, while Arora chipped in with 30 from only 10 - as they sealed the chase with eight balls left.
