Shardul Thakur was subbed in in the 7th over, yet went unused (Screengrab/Willow TV)
Mumbai Indians’ puzzling use of Shardul Thakur as an Impact Sub has triggered a wave of fan criticism after the all-rounder, who was introduced in the seventh over of the MI vs SRH fixture in IPL 2026, ended up not bowling a single delivery – despite MI bowlers enduring a torrid day with the ball at the Wankhede.The move quickly became one of the biggest talking points from the match, with fans questioning the logic behind bringing in a frontline seam-bowling all-rounder and then not utilising him at all.
After posting 243 on the board, MI were in for a rude shock as Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head raced to 115/0 in just seven overs. MI, who made a host of changes to their playing XI, decided to sub out wicketkeeper-batter Robin Minz in favour of Thakur, hoping to break the partnership and gain an extra bowling cushion.But Thakur ended up not getting a bowl as SRH cantered home with a record chase with over an over to spare. On a day when every MI bowler was taken to the cleaners, it was a baffling move not to hand the ball to Thakur to stem the flow of runs from SRH batters.Trent Boult conceded 41 runs in his four overs, while Jasprit Bumrah endured an unforgettable day, returning figures of 4-0-54-0. Allah Ghazanfar, despite picking up two wickets, also leaked runs, giving away 51 in his four overs, while Ashwani Kumar returned figures of 2-0-41-0. Hardik Pandya went at an economy of 10.63, while Will Jacks’ solitary over cost 19 runs. Yet, there was no sign of Thakur, who has 113 wickets from 112 matches in the IPL and is generally known as a partnership-breaker.Here’s how social media reacted to the bizarre decision:
SRH demolish MI at Wankhede
MI bowlers were taken apart by SRH batters, with none conceding less than 10 runs per over. Notably, the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 0/54 in four overs.Mumbai Indians, powered by a 55-ball unbeaten 123 from Ryan Rickelton, posted 243/5 in 20 overs after electing to bat first. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Travis Head (76 off 30 balls), Heinrich Klaasen (65* off 30), Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) and Salil Arora (30* off 10), chased down the target with eight balls to spare.
