Mitchell Santner is set to be sidelined for at least a month after scans confirmed a grade-three shoulder injury, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Friday.The New Zealand all-rounder and white-ball captain injured his left shoulder while fielding for the Mumbai Indians during their recent Indian Premier League clash against the Chennai Super Kings. He was later seen in the dressing room with an ice pack during the chase, with Mumbai Indians using a concussion substitute in his place.Santner had earlier experienced discomfort in the same shoulder during a match against the Delhi Capitals on April 4, which forced him to miss the subsequent game against the Rajasthan Royals on April 7. Although he returned to play against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans, the injury worsened during the match against Chennai, ruling him out of the remainder of IPL 2026.In response, the five-time champions Mumbai Indians have signed Keshav Maharaj as his replacement. Santner featured in four matches this season, picking up five wickets.The 34-year-old has since returned to New Zealand, where a specialist confirmed he will require at least a month of rest and rehabilitation. The injury also rules Santner out of New Zealand’s upcoming fixtures, including the one-off Test against Ireland national cricket team and the first Test of the England series. His availability for the remaining matches will be assessed later.The Test against Ireland is scheduled to begin on May 27 in Belfast, followed by a three-match series against England national cricket team in June. NZC is expected to announce the squad for these tours shortly. New Zealand’s next white-ball assignment will be a tour of the West Indies in July, featuring both ODI and T20I series.
