The New Zealand cricket team has suffered a major blow as their white-ball captain Mitchell Santner has been ruled out for at least a month due to a shoulder injury. Through an official confirmation, the New Zealand Cricket Board has revealed that the spin-bowling all-rounder has a level 3 ACL shoulder injury.
The board confirmed the extent of the injury after a medical scan. Since he is expected to be out of action for at least a month, he will not be available for the one-off Test against Ireland and the first Test against England.
Mitchell Santner is set to miss several international matches due to injury
“Blackcaps all-rounder and white-ball captain Mitchell Santner is set to be ruled out for at least a month after scans revealed a grade three ACL shoulder injury. The diagnosis means Santner is unavailable for the one-off Test against Ireland and the first Test against England. His availability for the second and third Tests will be assessed at a later date,” the New Zealand Cricket Board said.
“The full squads for the Ireland and England Tests will be announced in the coming days,” it added.
An update from the team. Read more at https://t.co/3YsfR1Y3Sm
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– Blackcaps (@BLACKCAPS) 1 May 2026
Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 after suffering a left shoulder injury while fielding for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings. The New Zealand all-rounder got injured while attempting a diving catch.
The Kiwis are set to play a one-off four-day Test match against the Ireland cricket team at Stormont, Belfast on May 27, which will be followed by a 3-match Test series against the England cricket team on an overseas tour.
New Zealand’s upcoming matches against Ireland and England:
- One-off four-day Test v Ireland – Stormont, Belfast – 27 May
- 1st Test vs England – Lord’s – 4–8 June
- 2nd Test vs England – The Oval – 17–21 June
- 3rd Test vs England – Trent Bridge – 25–29 June
In the official press release, the cricket board further revealed that the Blackcaps’ next white-ball assignment is the ODI and T20I tour of West Indies in July. They will begin the domestic international summer with a bumper three-format tour against India in October, which will run until December 1.
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More to follow…
