Mitchell Santner injury: Big blow to New Zealand captain, will be out of action for these many weeks

New Zealand cricket has suffered a major blow as its white-ball captain, Mitchell Santner, will be out of cricketing action for an extended period. The 34-year-old all-rounder suffered an injury during his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign for the Mumbai Indians (MI). Later, it was revealed that he had suffered a grade-three ACL injury in his left shoulder and it'll take at least a month for him to fully recover from it.

What New Zealand Cricket said

Santner, who suffered the injury while taking Chennai Super Kings' Kartik Sharma's catch during MI's clash against the CSK, returned home and saw a specialist who suggested a rest and rehabilitation period of at least one month, New Zealand Cricket confirmed.

"Santner returned home to New Zealand this week and saw a specialist this morning who confirmed a rest and rehabilitation period of at least one month," New Zealand Cricket said on Friday."

This means that Mitchell Santner will miss the one-off Test against Ireland starting on May 27, as well as the first Test against England beginning from June 4. His availability for the second and third Tests against England will be assessed later, with a final decision to be made accordingly, New Zealand Cricket confirmed.

"His availability for the second and third Tests to be evaluated at a later date," New Zealand Cricket added.

Mitchell Santner's IPL 2026 numbers

Mitchell Santner, who was signed by Mumbai for ₹2 crore in the mega auction, has featured in four matches this season, picking up five wickets at an average of 25 while maintaining an economy rate of 8.93. With the bat, he has scored 26 runs at a strike rate of 137, with an unbeaten 18 being his highest score in IPL 2026.

Following his injury setback and subsequent exit from IPL 2026, the Mumbai Indians roped in South African spinner Keshav Maharaj as his replacement.

With a crucial international schedule ahead, New Zealand will be hoping for a swift recovery as Mitchell Santner’s absence leaves a significant void in both leadership and balance.