MATCH STORY
Follow UsMitchell Santner is not your usual T20 spinner. He has clubbed the traditional virtues of left-arm spin bowling with an incidental occurrence of turn to make himself a valuable commodity for New Zealand in the shortest version of the game, but there’s nothing more than that.
At least, not in the Indian Premier League, where he has played just 18 matches to date.
Part of this is because Ravindra Jadeja’s presence in the CSK line-up doesn’t allow the franchise to spend an overseas slot on a similar bowler. Also, Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana fill in their bowling roles quite spectacularly.
But then there’s something about Santner that takes you on a ride. Like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) understood on May 18 (Saturday) evening, when the Kiwi spinner curtailed the home side inside the powerplay before forcing a set Virat Kohli to commit the cardinal error of playing against the turn against a left-arm spinner.
He was the reason RCB could never break the shackles and aim for the skies despite having two set batters in the middle.
Santner is known for his gullie and ability to hold the line—strangely uncharacteristic in a T20 match but something that's propelled them to great success at the international level. Perceptions dictate that conditions similar to those of Chepauk will help him have a good time in the IPL. Unfortunately for him, the Super Kings always had multiple better options to consider.
Things changed in 2024. When Mustafizur Rahman and Pathirana left the franchise midway, and Deepak Chahar picked up another injury, CSK were down to the last shot in the bottle to keep their playoff chances alive. They needed an experienced hand, and it helped that the dry Chinnaswamy surface came out to aid Santner’s style perfectly.
After the game came to a halt after three overs due to rain, the absorbed moisture put the pacers at risk of going for runs, and hence Ruturaj Gaikwad employed a three-pronged spin strategy to outwit the RCB batters.
Santner, being a bowler who relies on holding the line, managed to turn it square to keep the duo of Kohli and du Plessis in check. He gave away only one boundary in his four-over spell, setting it up nicely for death overs.
Would it be enough? Thanks to a costly spell from Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande in the final overs, RCB’s total propelled to 218, leaving CSK a mountain to climb on a two-paced wicket. Even if this ends up as CSK’s final outing in the IPL 2024, Santner can be proud for doing everything that was asked of him and then some more.
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