Veteran Varun Aaron feels that star spinner Mitchell Santner is showing his worth in the IPL while playing for MI after his stunning spell in the win over DC as well. Santner claimed 3 for 11 in 4 overs and got the key wickets of Vipraj Nigam and Sameer Rizvi, and Ashutosh Sharma as well.

Santner, who used to find himself on the bench during his time with CSK, joined Mumbai during the IPL 2025 auction, and he has been doing well since then and helped Mumbai Indians seal their qualification for the play-offs.

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Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Aaron said, “The moment Will Jacks bowled [in the first innings], I was thinking if Will Jacks is going to turn the ball this much, Santner is just going to run rigs around the batsman,” Aaron said. “Santner is a quality bowler, just one of those underutilised bowlers, underutilised players at CSK, never really got a long run, but he’s just showing what he’s worth the moment he stepped into Mumbai Indians’ colours.”

Meanwhile, Tom Moody, who was also part of the conversation, said that while the Wankhede is not a spin-friendly pitch, Santner did well with his subtle variations as well. However, MI will play their final league match against PBKS on May 26.

“And the beauty of Santner is that, on a surface like that, it’s not so much the turn is the threat, it’s the pitch being slow and his ability to change the arrival of the ball at different paces without the knowledge of the batsman. That’s what makes him lethal, his subtle change of pace without any real sign or cue for the batter is his key,” Moody said. “It’s not like he’s spun the odd one, but let’s face it, Mitchell is not a big turner of the ball, he’s never been a big turner of the ball, that’s why he’s never really grabbed hold of a Test cricket and run with it.”