It was in March, that MI all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar got injured, even before the start of IPL 2026. The player who was bought for INR 30 lakh, reportedly underwent a knee surgery, that kept him out of MI. And then, on April 16, the team announced the signing of all-rounder Krish Bhagat. While on the surface, the move seems fair, but then, it appears that the left-handed player is playing in the Thane Premier League.
Unfit MI player participates in Thane Premier League
This issue has been raised by some fans on social media, if Atharva Ankolekar was fit, why wasn’t he retained in the team? What only adds to the mystery is, the official Instagram account of the league, posted a video of the player, batting and bowling in full flow. Atharva scored 56 from 47, and then returned with figures of 3/30, playing for Union Cricket Academy.
Meanwhile, the injury to the all-rounder had happened during the Ranji Trophy encounter between Mumbai and Hyderabad in January. Though, he will be definitely be available to play in the T20 Mumbai League, and was bagged by Eagle Thane Strikers for 16.25 lakh in the auction.
What could have happened?
Even though the franchise is yet to respond officially, but one can perhaps rule out fairplay. The team was already struggling with the form and availability of players — Will Jacks joined the team late, and some radical moves were needed for sure. Secondly, maybe, Ankolekar isn’t fully fit, and it just getting some match practice before the T20 Mumbai League; and no IPL team would have compromised on the fitness of the player.
Nonetheless, his replacement, Krish has been rather ordinary so far in the tournament. In the three matches he has played, he is yet to pick up a wicket, and his economy has been 10.50. Suryakumar Yadav has scored only 195 runs in the season, Tilak – 204, and Pandya 146. Bowling-wise the situation is worse. Skipper has just 4 wickets so far, Jasprit Bumrah has 3 in 10 matches, and Corbin Bosch 2 in 3. That reflects on the IPL 2026 points table, where they are languishing in the 9th spot.
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