Hardik Pandya Propels Shardul Thakur to Create Unwanted Record Against SRH

The 2026 IPL season has been a rollercoaster for the Mumbai Indians (MI), but not the kind their fans enjoy. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, the five-time champions are struggling to find their rhythm. A recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) perfectly highlighted the team's issues.

Between strange tactical moves and a bowling attack that couldn't defend a massive total of 243, skipper Hardik’s decisions made the way for an embarrassing home defeat and a truly bizarre record for one of the best all-rounders in IPL, Shardul Thakur.

What is the Unwanted Record Created by Shardul Thakur?

Shardul is known as a "Man with the Golden Arm" with the ball as he usually finds a way to get a breakthrough in critical situations. However, during the clash against SRH, he ended up making history for the wrong reason.
Shardul Thakur became the first Impact Player in the Indian Premier League history to neither bat nor bowl in a match. He was brought into the game, replacing wicketkeeper-batter Robin Minz in the seventh over.

Normally, an Impact Player is used to change the course of the game with a specific skill. But in this case, Shardul Thakur was subbed in early but never got the ball. The MI bowlers were being hit all over the park, yet Hardik Pandya didn't give him even one over. Shardul Thakur Impact Player record came as a big surprise for the MI fans as his name didn't appear even once in the batting or bowling charts.

Ryan Rickelton’s Century Goes in Vain

It was a heartbreaking night for South African batter Ryan Rickelton. Opening the innings for Mumbai along with Will Jacks, Rickelton played the innings of a lifetime, smashing his maiden IPL century. He scored a brilliant 123 off just 55 balls*, helping MI reach a massive total of 243/5. It was the fastest century by any Mumbai Indians player.
In the second innings of the MI vs SRH IPL 2026 match, Hardik Pandya’s tactical choices were heavily criticized as SRH chased the target down with 8 balls to spare. SRH openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma showed why they are amongst the most dangerous batsmen in IPL as they scored at around 15 runs per over.
While frontline bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult were being attacked, Pandya refused to use Shardul Thakur, who was the Impact player in MI vs SRH match. The camera panned towards Shardul numerous times but he wasn't given the ball. With this loss, MI remain at the 9th spot in the IPL points table. Their position in IPL 2026 now hangs by a thread as they need to win every game now.