Ankolekar picked up the injury while sliding to save a boundary.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Atharva Ankolekar will be sidelined for around four to six weeks after he tore his meniscus during the Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.
The 25-year-old, who was fielding at long-on, got injured when he slid to save a boundary. He fell immediately and was in visible pain, and was eventually stretchered to the nearest exit gate.
He was in tears while he was slowly moved to the ambulance, a journey that was made even more difficult because of a heap of robo sand (manufactured sand) being placed right in the middle of the path, along with other construction equipment.
Renovations are currently underway at the stadium, undertaken by Sunrisers Hyderabad, ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians player made a quick-fire 22-ball 35 (5×4, 1×6) as Mumbai posted a mammoth 560 in the first innings. With BCCI’s injury replacement rules allowing only a ‘like-for-like’ replacement, Mumbai will have to finish the match with just one spinner, as the side lacks reinforcements.
Atharva himself was a last-minute replacement for left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, who picked up an injury and had to fly back to Mumbai for further tests. Off-spinner Tanush Kotian was also ruled out of the ongoing contest after picking up a hand injury.
Published – January 23, 2026 07:39 pm IST
