Mumbai Indians (MI) have dropped both struggling seamers Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, and the result was overwhelming in their latest IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans on Monday, April 20, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
After four losses in a row, the Mumbai Indians have made a stunning comeback with a massive 99-run win over the Gujarat Titans (GT), and most of the credit goes to their disciplined bowling attack at the Narendra Modi Stadium. With this win, MI jumped to the 7th spot in the table.
Kris Srikkanth mocks Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar after Mumbai Indians crush Gujarat Titans
After MI’s dominant win over GT in Ahmedabad, Kris Srikkanth has taken a brutal and sarcastic dig at Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar as the franchise has almost found the right bowling combination without their senior bowlers in the tournament.
In his no-filter take on their bold step, the 1983 World Cup winner suggested the Mumbai Indians should prefer to keep Shardul and Chahar far away from the playing XI rather than risk another expensive spell in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Kris Srikkanth said on his Cheeky Cheeka podcast on YouTube, “Thank God, MI sent these two to the shed. At this point, I’m sure MI would be telling them, ‘You both just go take your seats in the shed and do not come out again’.”
Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar’s struggles in IPL 2026
Shardul Thakur had actually started his IPL journey with MI on a high note. The all-rounder picked up 3 wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and won the Player of the Match award. But, in the following matches, Shardul struggled badly with his line and length.
Thakur leaked heavy runs, and his economy rate went above 13.5, which became a big concern for the team, and they eventually dropped him for the GT clash. On the other hand, Deepak Chahar’s bowling performances have been even more worrying.
Chahar has failed to take wickets in the powerplay, and he was leaking runs like water flowing from the tap. In three matches, he has managed to pick up just one wicket while conceding runs at a very high rate close to 15 per over, and he was also shown the door.
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Ashwani Kumar and Krish Bhagat shine as MI’s bold call hailed by Srikkanth
The Mumbai Indians replaced Deepak and Shardul Thakur with the young pacers Ashwani Kumar and Krish Bhagat, and the move paid them off handsomely against the Gujarat Titans. Ashwani delivered a stunning spell, taking four wickets while conceding 24 runs in his four overs.
On the other hand, Krish was sent for two overs, and he gave away only 10 runs. Jasprit Bumrah made his present felt with 1/15 in three overs against GT.
Praising the young duo, the former Indian chief selector said, “Just take a look at the lengths they bowled at—sheer Test match level discipline.”
Srikkanth backs Jasprit Bumrah to continue open bowling for MI
Srikkanth feels Bumrah’s opening spell gave the momentum to Mumbai Indians, and then Ashwani handled the rest of the things. He added, “Giving the first over to Bumrah and him picking up a wicket off the first ball is where MI got the momentum. The whole energy and atmosphere got lifted with that wicket. This is why Bumrah should bowl with the new ball.”
