IPL: Mitchell Santner's historic spell earns praise from former cricketers
22 May 2025

Mumbai Indians all-rounder Mitchell Santner produced an exceptional show in the 63rd match of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals.

He picked three wickets and conceded just 11 runs at an economy of 2.75 as MI reached the playoffs.

The phenomenal spell consisted of as many as 16 dot balls, making it the most economical returns for a spinner on this ground, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Aaron and Moody commend Santner
Praise

Following the match, former cricketers Varun Aaron and Tom Moody praised Santner's brilliant performance on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out show.

"The moment Will Jacks bowled, I was thinking if Will Jacks is going to turn the ball this much, Santner is just going to run rings around the batsman," Aaron said.

He went on to call Santner a "quality bowler" who was "underutilized" at Chennai Super Kings but has now shown his worth in MI colors.

Santner's strategic approach to bowling
Strategy

Santner got rid of DC's top-two scorers — Sameer Rizvi (39) and Vipraj Nigam (20), as well as Ashutosh Sharma (18).

Moody emphasized that Santner's ability to vary speeds subtly without any signs for the batters did the trick.

"It's not like he's spun the odd one, but let's face it, Mitchell is not a big turner of the ball," Moody said.

Aaron highlights Santner's physical attributes in bowling
Physicality

Aaron also highlighted Santner's physical attributes that contribute to his deceptive bowling style.

"His height and angles, he really uses the crease well," Aaron explained.

He added that batsmen often assume a tall bowler will bowl fast every ball but Santner cleverly uses his pace.

This combination of strategy and physicality makes him a formidable opponent on the field.

A look at his T20 stats
Stats

Santner has been underrated all-rounder in T20 cricket.

In 28 IPL matches, the former CSK spinner owns 22 scalps. Against DC, he registered his best figures in the IPL.

Meanwhile, in IPL 2025, he has picked seven wickets from 10 games at an average of 35.28.

Overall in the 20-over format, he has claimed 223 scalps from as many matches at a solid 24.15.

Santner has also played some vital knocks with the bat.