In a surprising turn of events, Shardul Thakur made his debut as an Impact Player for the Mumbai Indians (MI) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) but did not contribute with bat or ball. This match, held at the Wankhede Stadium, saw MI suffer their sixth defeat of the IPL 2026 season, with SRH successfully chasing down a target of 244 runs. Ryan Rickelton's impressive century (123 off 55 balls) had initially set a strong foundation for MI, but SRH's aggressive batting led by Travis Head (76 off 30 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (50 off 22 balls) secured their victory with 8 balls to spare. Fans took to social media to express their disbelief at Thakur's lack of participation, humorously dubbing him the 'non-impact player'. The Impact Player rule, introduced in 2023, has faced criticism from many IPL captains, including MI's Rohit Sharma, who argue it undermines the role of all-rounders and complicates team selection.