'Karn has got a couple of stitches in his hand' - Mitchell Santner provides crucial update on fellow MI spinner's injury

Karn Sharma copped a painful blow to his hand while fielding in Mumbai Indians' (MI) most recent fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, April 17. The veteran leg-spinner, who played a crucial role in MI's win in the previous fixture against Delhi Capitals, left the field to get some treatment and didn't return to bowl against the Pat Cummins-led side.

Hardik Pandya and Co. are set to face age-old rivals Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. However, Karn might not be available for the highly-anticipated clash as his teammate Mitchell Santner revealed his injury status on the eve of the match.

New Zealand's white-ball skipper said he was unsure about Karn's availability for the all-important fixture as he had to get two stitches on his hand. 

"He has got a couple of stitches in his hand. He's here today, I'm not sure if he's bowling or if he's available for tomorrow, but it looked like a nasty little cut and it's a shame," Santner was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

Mumbai were handicapped to an extent by Karn's absence, but they still managed to beat Hyderabad by four wickets, chasing down a 163-run target with 11 balls to spare.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Match 38, MI vs CSK Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match between MI and CSK?

If it is going to be a slightly slower wicket like last game, we know he's going to be a challenge: Mitchell Santner on Noor Ahmad

Noor Ahmad has been one of the best bowlers in the ongoing edition of the IPL. The Afghanistan spinner has picked up 12 wickets from seven games at an average of 14.25. Santner said that he has played with and against Noor in recent times and reckoned that he could be even more dangerous than he already is if the Wankhede Stadium provides a slowish surface on Sunday.

"I've seen a lot of him recently, played against him, played with him in the MLC (Major League Cricket in the USA). Obviously, (he is) a great bowler. I guess the mystery — he’s hard to pick at times — we've seen through this tournament especially in Chennai, where there has been a little bit of assistance, he's been outstanding. If it is going to be a slightly slower wicket like last game, we know he's going to be a challenge," Santner opined.

"If they go to other spinners, they will be as well. You've got to be quite smart against him. If he gets on a roll, he's pretty tough to stop. As we've seen, he has bowled extremely well," he added.