diff --git a/controllers/operator/mongodbsearch_controller_test.go b/controllers/operator/mongodbsearch_controller_test.go
index ba3885042..f2955e6bd 100644
--- a/controllers/operator/mongodbsearch_controller_test.go
+++ b/controllers/operator/mongodbsearch_controller_test.go
@@ -158,7 +158,13 @@ func TestMongoDBSearchReconcile_Success(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	search := newMongoDBSearch("search", mock.TestNamespace, "mdb")
 	mdbc := newMongoDBCommunity("mdb", mock.TestNamespace)
-	reconciler, c := newSearchReconciler(mdbc, search)
+
+	operatorConfig := search_controller.OperatorSearchConfig{
+		SearchRepo:    "test-repo",
+		SearchName:    "test-search",
+		SearchVersion: "1.28.7",
+	}
+	reconciler, c := newSearchReconcilerWithOperatorConfig(mdbc, operatorConfig, search)
 
 	res, err := reconciler.Reconcile(
 		ctx,
@@ -184,6 +190,12 @@ func TestMongoDBSearchReconcile_Success(t *testing.T) {
 	err = c.Get(ctx, search.StatefulSetNamespacedName(), sts)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
+	// TODO: Cover more version test cases in refactor
+	updated := &searchv1.MongoDBSearch{}
+	err = c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: search.Name, Namespace: search.Namespace}, updated)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.28.7", updated.Status.Version, "Status.Version should be populated with the operator version")
+
 	queue := controllertest.Queue{Interface: workqueue.New()}
 	reconciler.mdbcWatcher.Create(ctx, event.CreateEvent{Object: mdbc}, &queue)
 	assert.Equal(t, 1, queue.Len())
diff --git a/controllers/search_controller/mongodbsearch_reconcile_helper.go b/controllers/search_controller/mongodbsearch_reconcile_helper.go
index 08a264853..12fedcc04 100644
--- a/controllers/search_controller/mongodbsearch_reconcile_helper.go
+++ b/controllers/search_controller/mongodbsearch_reconcile_helper.go
@@ -86,9 +86,11 @@ func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) reconcile(ctx context.Context, log *zap.S
 		return workflow.Failed(err)
 	}
 
-	if err := r.ValidateSearchImageVersion(); err != nil {
+	searchImageVersion := r.getMongotVersion()
+	if err := r.ValidateSearchImageVersion(searchImageVersion); err != nil {
 		return workflow.Failed(err)
 	}
+	r.mdbSearch.Status.Version = searchImageVersion
 
 	if err := r.ValidateSingleMongoDBSearchForSearchSource(ctx); err != nil {
 		return workflow.Failed(err)
@@ -428,9 +430,7 @@ func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) ValidateSingleMongoDBSearchForSearchSourc
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) ValidateSearchImageVersion() error {
-	version := r.getMongotImage()
-
+func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) ValidateSearchImageVersion(version string) error {
 	if strings.Contains(version, unsupportedSearchVersion) {
 		return xerrors.Errorf(unsupportedSearchVersionErrorFmt, unsupportedSearchVersion)
 	}
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) ValidateSearchImageVersion() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) getMongotImage() string {
+func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) getMongotVersion() string {
 	version := strings.TrimSpace(r.mdbSearch.Spec.Version)
 	if version != "" {
 		return version
@@ -454,9 +454,22 @@ func (r *MongoDBSearchReconcileHelper) getMongotImage() string {
 
 	for _, container := range r.mdbSearch.Spec.StatefulSetConfiguration.SpecWrapper.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers {
 		if container.Name == MongotContainerName {
-			return container.Image
+			return extractImageTag(container.Image)
 		}
 	}
 
 	return ""
 }
+
+func extractImageTag(image string) string {
+	if image == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	lastColonIndex := strings.LastIndex(image, ":")
+	if lastColonIndex == -1 {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	return image[lastColonIndex+1:]
+}