New Zealand all-rounder Mitchel Santner has joined five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians and will be available for the team’s game against Delhi Capitals. Santner missed MI’s opening fixture of the 026 IP season against the Kolkata Knight Riders, played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, due to personal reasons.
The Form
Mitchell Santner, who played a crucial role in MI’s campaign last season, has been in good form leading into this year’s tournament, having guided New Zealand to the final of the T20 World Cup, which was preceded by a similar performance in the last white-ball ICC tournament, i.e. the Champions Trophy.
The Role
It will be interesting to see what role Santner is given in the playing XI, which is filled with match winners, including players like captain Hardik Pandya, former captain Rohit Sharma and defending T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav.
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The Position
Although Mitchell Santner is expected to bat at number seven or eight, his inclusion would mean one of the four overseas players will have to sit out, with Allah Mohamamd Ghazanfar being one of the names who might have to sacrifice his place, as Santner’s all-round ability is what makes him pip Ghazanfar, who was on the expensive side in the first match against KKR.
The Start
If we talk about the result of MI’s game against KKR, the Hardik Pandya-led side got over the line in a comprehensive manner with six wickets in hand while chasing a target of 221 runs with the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton scoring half centuries and adding 148 runs in the process which made whatcould have been a tricky chase a walk in the park.
The Record
If we talk about the last meeting between the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was MI that scripted a come-from-behind win.
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