Half the car was gone: Michael Clarke recalls serious accident after IPL final

The conclusion of the Indian Premier League 2026 final on Sunday night will be remembered not only for what happened on the pitch but also for the harrowing sequence of midnight emergencies on the roads of Gujarat. Hours after the Gujarat Titans team was left stranded on the road when their team bus caught fire, former Australian captain Michael Clarke miraculously escaped a catastrophic highway collision that left his vehicle a total write-off.

Clarke escaped with minor injuries after his car met with a serious accident on his way to the airport after Sunday’s IPL 2026 final.

The incident occurred on the same night that The team bus of Gujarat Titans caught fire to a suspected electrical short, leaving Shubman Gill and his team briefly stranded on the roadside until a replacement vehicle arrived.

Clarke, who was part of the tournament’s official commentary panel, was asleep in the front passenger seat when his car rear-ended a large semi-trailer.

According to Clark, the accident happened after midnight when the driver of his car was hit by a heavy vehicle in front of him.

“The driver explained to me that the brakes (brake lights) on the truck were not working, so my driver hit the back of the truck,” Clarke told the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.

“It was a big semi and our car disappeared under it. The front half of the car was practically gone.”

The impact of the collision crushed the front of the sedan and pushed the dashboard into the cabin area.

“When we hit the truck, the front of the car hit both of our legs. I got away with a few bruises, (but) I definitely think he had a bit of a broken leg,” Clarke added.

BCCI AND LOCAL SUPPORT

Although the driver suffered a suspected fracture, he reportedly panicked over the damage to the company vehicle and initially refused medical treatment.

“I was really concerned because he was so scared. It wasn’t his car, he worked for the company,” Clarke noted. “I told him, ‘You should go to the hospital.’ He said, “No, no, no.” I don’t know, I hope he ended up in the hospital.”

Just before the IPL final, while returning home and heading to the airport, Michael Clarke had a serious road accident.

The vehicle in which he was traveling as a passenger collided with a semi-trailer, with the front half of the vehicle stuck under pic.twitter.com/NXYs6HclxO— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) June 4, 2026

Clarke was forced to wait on the road for nearly an hour before a replacement vehicle could be arranged to take him to the airport. He appreciated the local response and quick assistance provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Let me start by saying, I thank God for the good people in India. That’s why I got home safely,” Clarke said. “Everyone at the BCCI has been checking me out. They’ve been incredible, so I’m very grateful for that.”

“It was more of a shock for me because I was sleeping like hell and then I woke up. Seeing myself so close under a truck… not an ideal way to get home, but I made the flight and I’m very lucky,” he concluded.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

05 Jun 2026 15:37 IST