The IPL 2026 season has ended. The final of the season was played last Sunday (31 May). Now, about three days after the end of the season, a very shocking news came out, in which it was told that the foreign player has seriously accused Mumbai Indians of not paying the full amount for the season. This player is none other than New Zealand’s star all-rounder Mitchell Santner.

Let us tell you that Santner could not play the entire season for Mumbai due to injury. Santner told that MI has given him only half the salary. Let us tell you that Santner was retained by Mumbai for a price of Rs 2 crore. There were also allegations against Santner that he made the excuse of injury to join the New Zealand Test team. Now the Kiwi all-rounder talked about everything.

shoulder injury twice

While talking on ‘Grade Cricketer Podcast’, Center told the whole story regarding IPL. He told that he could not play the first match of Mumbai due to the birth of his second child. After this he played for the franchise against Delhi and got injured in his right shoulder. Then after returning, Santner got injured in his left shoulder. Due to this, he could play only 4 matches in the season.

Santner’s claim- got half of the salary

Santner told that both his shoulders were injured. He felt that he was putting his body at risk for the team, but it was not believed so. Then while claiming about the salary, Santner said that Mumbai Indians paid half of the salary of Rs 2 crore. He did not like this at all.

What is the rule of IPL regarding injured players?

According to IPL rules, if a player is injured in the middle of the season, he is given the full amount of the contract. However, sometimes it happens that players get their salary in installments. At present, no official statement has come from Mumbai side on this matter of Santner.

Also read: ‘A Bihari is superior to everyone, then…’, Virat Kohli gave strong motivation to Vaibhav Suryavanshi; video viral

New Zealand’s limited overs team captain Mitchell Santner will be out of the field for at least a month due to a shoulder injury during IPL 2026.
This 34-year-old veteran all-rounder suffered a left shoulder injury while fielding during the match played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings on April 23. He also received a severe blow to his neck and head.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Friday, “Mitchell Santner has returned to New Zealand this week and met a specialist this morning, who told him he needs at least a month’s rest and ‘rehabilitation’.”

Mitchell Santner Injured in IPL Set to Miss Key Matches

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner got a serious shoulder injury while playing in the IPL for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings.

He has been ruled out for at least one month and will miss the Ireland Test… pic.twitter.com/cE7qBXmQan

— Talha Nawaz (@TalhaDigital007) May 1, 2026

During the IPL match, Santner took a diving catch of Jasprit Bumrah’s Karthik Sharma of Chennai Super Kings, but during this he got injured in his shoulder and head. Due to this, he will not be available for the only Test against Ireland and the first Test match against England. New Zealand Cricket said that a decision on his availability for the second and third Test matches will be taken later.

BIG BLOW FOR NEW ZEALAND

Mitchell Santner has suffered a Grade 3 ACL shoulder injury and will be out for at least one month.

– Injury happened during IPL while attempting a catch for Mumbai Indians.
– Misses the one-off Test vs Ireland.
– Ruled out of the first Test vs… pic.twitter.com/RppkxLCKHz

— Ministry of Cricket (@MOCricket_) May 1, 2026

The only four-day Test match between New Zealand and Ireland will start on May 27 in Belfast. After this, the New Zealand team will play three Test matches against England at Lord’s (June 4-8), The Oval (June 17-21) and Trent Bridge (June 25-29).

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Today’s clash between RR and DC, know the playing eleven, pitch report and match prediction of Rajasthan-Delhi.

Last Thursday, there was a big clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026. Fans were expecting an exciting match, but CSK surprised everyone by registering a historic win of 103 runs at Wankhede Stadium. Sanju Samson’s 101-run innings and Akeal Hosein’s 4-wicket haul played the biggest role in CSK’s victory. But this match was more discussed because of Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur. Actually Thakur was not a part of the playing eleven nor was he selected as an impact player. Yet when Thakur came to bat, fans started accusing MI of cheating.

Mitchell Santner took the catch of Karthik Sharma in the 17th over of Chennai Super Kings’ innings. He suffered a shoulder injury while taking this catch. After the shoulder injury, it was said that he had a concussion, due to which he was unable to bat. Therefore, when Mumbai came to bat, Shardul Thakur was sent to bat after concussion substitute rule was implemented.

What is the ruckus about?

When Mitchell Santner took the catch, it was told that he had suffered a shoulder injury. Whereas Shardul Thakur got a chance to bat as a concussion substitute. But concussion is an injury to the brain, which occurs due to a collision or blow, whereas Santner had suffered a shoulder injury. To be clear, Santner’s shoulder was injured, not that he had a concussion. Therefore, when Thakur was sent to bat, there was an uproar on social media and people started accusing Mumbai Indians of cheating.

Later, when the video replay was shown, Santner’s head had also hit the ground while taking a diving catch. After the match, Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene said that Santner suffered injuries to his shoulder, neck and head after that catch.

Excellently judged

Mitchell Santner with a fine diving catch in the deep

1⃣st wicket of the night for Jasprit Bumrah

Updates https://t.co/gGt34dqUoq#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #MIvCSK | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/5EyRNf9kCb

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 23, 2026

Wait… Shardul Thakur has been named concussion substitute of Mitchell Santer for a shoulder injury? So he has brain in his shoulder? pic.twitter.com/0yFYipc3MN

— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) April 23, 2026

How the hell is Shardul Thakur a concussion substitute for Mitch Santner who injured his shoulder??????????????? pic.twitter.com/EWNRidVaeB

— The Gamechanger (@tarun_0707) April 23, 2026

Why Shardul Thakur came in place of Santer when Danish Malewar already came in place of Ghazanfar? Did I miss something in the match? pic.twitter.com/J58aD4XOcG

— Kusha Sharma  (@Kushacritic) April 23, 2026

Also read:

CSK captain dedicated victory to Mukesh Chaudhary, the bowler had come to play after the death of his mother.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is constantly on target. In IPL 2026, Mumbai has registered only one win under his captaincy. Having lost four out of five matches, MI is currently at the bottom of the points table. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has also raised questions on Hardik’s captaincy and his personal form.

In IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya has scored only 81 runs in 4 matches and has been able to take only 2 wickets in bowling. Due to the decisions taken as captain, he is being criticized separately. Amidst all this, the demand for his removal from captaincy is gaining momentum. Know here that if the Mumbai team decides to remove Hardik from the captaincy, then which three players can replace him.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has made India the T20 World Cup winner under his captaincy just a few weeks ago. As Indian captain, his win percentage in T20 is 82, which has been really incredible. Surya’s personal form is very poor, but his captaincy record has been excellent. He has the ability to change the fortunes of MI.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has never captained Mumbai Indians. But he has commanded Team India in two T20 matches and India won both those matches. Apart from this, fans have also seen a glimpse of his captaincy in Test cricket. Bumrah is also an option whom Mumbai can look at as a captaincy option for at least 4-5 years.

Also read: Rashid Khan got the offer to play for Team India and get Indian citizenship, what answer did the Afghan cricketer give?

michel santner

Rohit Sharma’s name could have also been in this list, but in 2024, MI removed him and handed over the command of the team to Hardik. In IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad is the only team whose captain is a foreign player (Pat Cummins). Although he is currently injured, Ishan Kishan is handling the captaincy of SRH. No foreign player has taken charge of the Mumbai team on a regular basis, but Santner can prove to be a reliable captain, who took New Zealand to the final of the T20 World Cup 2026.

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Should Shreyas Iyer become the captain of Team India or not, what does coach Gautam Gambhir want? Know here

New Zealand vs South Africa T20 Highlights: New Zealand has defeated South Africa by 68 runs. In the second match of the T20 series, the Kiwi bowlers wreaked such havoc that the African batsmen were seen craving one run each. In this match played in Hamilton, New Zealand team batted first and scored 175 runs. Devon Conway scored 60 runs. In response to this, the South African team could not even play the full 20 overs and were all out for 107 runs.

New Zealand and South Africa are tied one each in the five-match T20 series. Devon Conway scored 60 runs for New Zealand, who came to bat first. Captain Mitchell Santner played a brilliant inning of 20 runs and Nick Kelly played a brilliant inning of 21 runs in 12 balls. But Josh Clarkson was most impressed, who came in the last overs and scored 26 runs in 9 balls.

South Africa badly beaten

The South African team, which came to chase the target of 176 runs, was seen struggling from the beginning. By the score of 31, all three top order batsmen of South Africa had lost their wickets. Rubin Harman scored 19 runs and George Linde was the highest run scorer for the South African team. He scored 33 runs in 12 balls. Apart from him, no other batsman could get going.

There came a time in South Africa’s innings when the team scored 32 runs in a span of 4 overs and lost 6 wickets. It was impossible for him to return from here. In the end, the entire South African team could play only 15.3 overs and all the batsmen were out for 107 runs.

For New Zealand, fast bowler Lockie Ferguson wreaked havoc, giving only 16 runs in 3.3 overs and also taking 3 wickets. He also bowled a maiden over, which is very rare to see in T20 cricket.

India vs New Zealand Final Key Battles: The final match of the 2026 T20 World Cup between India and New Zealand will be played today at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both the teams will enter the field with the intention of creating history. Team India would like to live up to the expectations of its home fans and lift the trophy for the second consecutive time. But New Zealand will also enter the field with full preparation. Before that, see here which players’ mutual battle in the final match will be the focus of everyone’s attention.

1. Suryakumar Yadav vs Mitchell Santner

It will be interesting to watch the battle between the captains of both the teams. Santner has taken the wicket of Suryakumar thrice in T20 matches. Surya plays sweep shots well against spin bowling, but Santner also knows how to play with the mind of the batsman. Santner had also dismissed the Indian captain in the first and last matches of the India-New Zealand series held before the World Cup.

2. Matt Henry vs Abhishek/Samson

Matt Henry, one of the most experienced bowlers in the New Zealand team, can give a tough test to the Indian openers with his fast pace. Henry can prove to be very effective with the new ball and if there is swing in the beginning, it will be very difficult for Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson to score runs.

3. Arshdeep Singh vs Finn Allen

Finn Allen is coming after scoring a century in 33 balls in the semi-final match against South Africa. Once again all eyes will be on Allen in the final. In T20, Finn Allen’s average in 3 innings against Arshdeep is 47 and strike rate is 223.8. It will be interesting to see whether Arshdeep is able to stop Allen in the final or not.

4. Jasprit Bumrah vs Tim Seifert/Finn Allen

Both the opening batsmen of the New Zealand team are known for their stormy batting. Allen has so far scored 289 runs and Seifert has scored 274 runs in the World Cup. To stop both of them, captain Suryakumar Yadav will definitely bet on Jasprit Bumrah. Getting Allen and Seifert out on low scores will be a huge advantage for Team India.

5. Indian Spinners vs Glenn Phillips

Coming to the middle overs, Glenn Phillips can play not only flamboyant innings but also a composed innings. Phillips has batted in 14 T20 innings against India, in which he has been out against spin bowling 11 times. Will the Indian spinners be able to take the wicket of Phillips once again?

Suryakumar Yadav Reaction Mitchell Santner Statement: The final of T20 World Cup 2026 will be played on 8 March. Before this title clash between India and New Zealand, a war of words has broken out between the captains of both the teams. The final match will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Recently Mitchell Santner had said that he wants to silence the Indian fans by winning the trophy. Now Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav has given his reaction on this.

What did Mitchell Santner say?

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner had said that his aim is to silence the Indian fans. He said that T20 cricket is full of uncertainties. Santner said that if he continues to play brilliantly like this, he can defeat any team. Without a doubt, there will be pressure on the Indian team to win the final in front of their home fans and get the trophy. The captain of the Kiwi team also reiterated the same thing.

Surya gave this answer

Captain Suryakumar Yadav said in the press conference before the final match, “Everyone is busy repeating the same thing. They should come up with something new.”

Suryakumar further said that playing the World Cup final in front of home fans is a special experience in itself and every member of the team is excited about this moment. Surya told that the team is excited and ready for the World Cup final.

Santner considered himself ‘underdog’

Mitchell Santner also admitted that New Zealand will not be seen as a strong contender to win the final, but his team will leave no stone unturned to give its best. Santner said that he would not mind breaking the hearts of some fans while lifting the trophy.

Also read:

Will 250 be made in the final also? Who will benefit more India or New Zealand, Ahmedabad pitch, know everything

The final of T20 World Cup 2026 will be played between India and New Zealand on Sunday, March 08 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Before the title match, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner made a big threat to break the hearts of 140 crore Indians. Australian captain Pat Cummins broke the hearts of Indians in the ODI World Cup final played in 2023.

The final of the last ODI World Cup was also played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, in which Team India had to face defeat against Australia. Now the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup will also be played in this stadium. Before the title match, let us know what Kiwi captain Santner said which left the Indian fans heartbroken.

won’t hesitate to break hearts

While answering questions on the title match against India in the press conference, Mitchell Santner said, “We will not hesitate to break some hearts to win the T20 World Cup.” If we understand in simple words, Santner says that he will not hesitate to break the hearts of Indian fans to win the T20 World Cup trophy.

New Zealand’s journey to reach the final

In the group stage, New Zealand entered the Super-8 by winning three out of four matches. The team had to face its only defeat against South Africa. After this, the team reached the semi-finals in Super-8 with just one win. Kiwi team’s first match in Super-8, which was to be played against Pakistan, was washed out due to rain. After this, in the next match played against Sri Lanka, New Zealand won by 61 runs. But then faced defeat by 4 wickets in the last match of Super-8 against England. Due to just one win and better net run rate, the team managed to reach the semi-finals.

New Zealand faced South Africa in the semi-finals. In the match, the Kiwi team won unilaterally by 9 wickets and made it to the finals. The Kiwi team had to face a crushing defeat against this African team in the group stage. Now it will be interesting to see how the New Zealand team performs against India in the final.

Also read: IND vs NZ Final: Will Team India lose the final? Old wounds become fresh on hearing the name of ‘Ahmedabad’.

Now the Super-8 matches have started in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Now the real battle for the trophy has started between 8 teams. First of all New Zealand and Pakistan are face to face. The match between New Zealand and Pakistan is being played at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. Today Fakhar Zaman has got a chance. New Zealand has made three changes in its playing eleven.

Pakistan or New Zealand, who is ahead in head to head?

Till now, a total of 49 T20 International matches have been played between Pakistan and New Zealand. In these matches, Pakistan has gained the lead and has won 24, while the Kiwi team has won the remaining 23 matches. Now it will be interesting to see which team prevails over whom in the battle of Super-8.

R Premadasa Stadium pitch report

In the league stage of the tournament, the pitch of R Premadasa Stadium has appeared more effective for the spinners. It is not at all easy to score fast runs on this ground. The ball comes with a slight halt, due to which the batsmen face difficulty in playing. While fast bowlers may get some help in the beginning, spinners have looked more effective in the matches held so far. So far 64 T20 matches have been played on this ground, in which the teams batting first have won 27 matches, while the chasing teams have won 36. The average score of the first innings on the ground is 144 runs. Therefore, teams here can look towards victory by putting up to 170 on the board in the first innings.

Pakistan’s probable playing 11

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Aga (captain), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Khawaja Nafe, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.

New Zealand’s probable playing 11

Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi.

Today the final match of the five-match T20 series will be played between India and New Zealand. Both the teams will clash at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Team India has already won the series by winning the first three matches. However, the Kiwi team won in the fourth T20. This is the last chance for both the teams to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Tilak Verma and Washington Sundar are not available for India in this match also. In the fifth T20 match to be played in Thiruvananthapuram, Team India can enter with the same team which will be in the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, changes will definitely be made if the tilak fits in it. New Zealand can also land in Thiruvananthapuram with its World Cup team.

Sanju Samson’s home ground, Phil Allen also returns

This is Sanju Samson’s last chance to prove himself before the World Cup. He will play the fifth T20 match on his home ground. Samson has not been able to do wonders so far in this series. There will be a big change in the New Zealand team. Explosive batsman Finn Allen has joined the team. He will open the innings in the fifth T20 match.

Pitch report of Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

Toss will play a big role in the fifth T20, because bowling in the second innings is not going to be easy. There will be considerable effect of dew here. Talking about the pitch, it will be easy for the batsmen to score runs. In such a situation, once again we may get to see a high scoring match.

match prediction

Our match prediction meter is saying that Team India will win this match. Even though the Kiwi team had won the fourth T20 match, still Team India is the favorite in the fifth T20. The contest is 60-40. If New Zealand scores more than 210 after playing first then its chances of victory will increase.

New Zealand’s probable playing eleven for the fifth T20- Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zachary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy

India’s probable playing eleven for the fifth T20- Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.