New Zealand cricketer Santner will be out of action for at least a month due to a shoulder injury.
New Zealand’s 34-year-old spinner Ish Sodhi Santner will miss the next four Tests after hurting his left shoulder while fielding for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings on April 23.
He bowled his full quota of overs, finishing with one wicket for 44 runs, but did not bat and was replaced by Shardul Thakur.
New Zealand Cricket confirmed that a specialist on Friday diagnosed the injury and ordered at least one month of rest and rehabilitation, forcing Santner to return home early from the IPL.
The shoulder problem rules him out of the one-off Test against Ireland in late May and the opening Test against England at Lord’s in early June.
His fitness for the second and third England Tests will be reviewed later, with squads for both series to be named soon.
Santner’s absence reshapes New Zealand’s spin options for the summer, especially against England’s left-handers.
Santner missed the recent white-ball tour of Bangladesh because he was committed to the IPL.
Mumbai Indians bought him for INR 2 crore ahead of IPL 2025 and kept him for this season.
Across 13 games last year he took ten wickets at an economy rate of 7.92, showing his value in the shortest format.
Earlier this year Santner led New Zealand to the T20 World Cup final, contributing 120 runs at a strike rate of 142.85 and two wickets with his left-arm spin.
For Mumbai Indians in 2026 he scored 26 runs in two innings at 136.84 and took five wickets at 8.92, proving his all-round value in the IPL.
Even if he sits out the four Tests, Santner is expected to be back in charge when New Zealand plays ODI and T20I series in the West Indies in July, returning to limited-overs leadership after recovery.