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Former Australia captain Michael Clarke was involved in a road accident after completing his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final commentary duties. Clarke was heading to the airport when he fell asleep in the passenger seat. As the car crashed into a semi-trailer, Clarke woke up and saw the vehicle partially underneath the truck. He escaped with a few bruises and returned home safely.
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"Interesting trip home, to say the least," Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast. "Let me start by saying thank God for good people in India. That's why I made it home safely.
"I was asleep. I fell asleep after the game, travelling. Obviously, I wasn't driving. Then I woke up to virtually the front half of the car being under a truck.”
How the accident happened?
Clarke recalled the driver telling him that the brake lights of the truck weren't operational and it led to the accident.
"The driver explained to me that the brake lights on the truck weren't working. So my driver had hit the truck up the backside. Again, it was a big semi-trailer and our car had gone underneath," he said. "The car's certainly written off."
Clarke concerned for the driver
The 45-year-old expressed his concern for the driver whose leg was broken in the accident.
"I got away with some bruises, but I definitely think he had a little break in his leg," Clarke said. "I was really concerned because he was so scared. It wasn't his car, he works for the company."
Clarke thanks locals, BCCI
Clarke thanked the local people and the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) for checking up on him and the injured driver. He said that he was in shock to see himself so close to being underneath the semi-trailer.
"Everyone at the BCCI, everybody there, they've been checking in on him and they've been checking in on me. They've been unreal. So I'm very grateful for that," he said. "It was a complete accident. These things happen all the time, but for me it was more the shock because I was fast asleep and then woke up to see myself so close to being underneath a truck."
Despite the accident, Clarke was able to reach the airport and catch his flight back home to Australia. He considers himself fortunate to be part of another IPL season.
"Not the ideal way to get home, but I made my flight. I'm back here and I'm very fortunate to have been part of another awesome IPL campaign. I love it," he further added.
Clarke went on to laud 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who won multiple awards despite Rajasthan Royals (RR) getting knocked out by Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 clash.
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