MI vs PBKS: Mahela Jayawardene Reveals Why Suryakumar Yadav Was Dropped To No.5 In Batting Order

When Suryakumar Yadav didn’t step out in his regular No. 4 place, many were surprised. Mahela Jayawardene, the head coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI), explained that he intended SKY to push the 199-run chase deep while giving the newcomers freedom in the first 10 overs.

Dewald Brevis (49 off 25) and Tilak Varma (36 off 20) almost justified the decision with a good attacking 84-run third-wicket stand. But it was too much for even Surya (43 off 30), who was out in the last over to give the Punjab Kings (PBKS) a 12-run victory in Pune.

The MI manager explained that he did not want to expose Surya to the swinging ball, especially with such a thin batting lineup. He went on to say that they would use a similar strategy in future games as well.

“We were playing with six batters today, so our goal was to go deep in the game.” And there’s no one better than Surya to bring a game to a close. And in that situation, on the powerplay, they’d swing the ball around a little bit and do things like that. So I didn’t want Surya to find himself in that predicament, unable to play his natural game. It was merely a matter of strategy.

We know what these two young men are capable of: Mahela Jayawardene

MI was on a roll at one point, with 68 orders out of 43 delivery. However, Varma’s untimely exit aided the Kings in regaining control of the game.

“We know what these two young men are capable of. So give them some leeway to go and take control of the situation so Polly and Surya may pursue it. That was my first thought ” Mahela Jayawardene said.

In response to a Sportskeeda question during the post-match news conference, Mahela Jayawardene said, “It’s a call that we’ll make dependent on how we’ve set up strategically against specific oppositions and something like that.”

MI has already lost five games in a row this season, matching their dreadful start from the previous season. They are still at rock bottom and must soon recover if they are to have any hope of entering the playoffs.

Also Read: MI vs PBKS: Suryakumar Yadav Was Certainly At Fault For Kieron Pollard Run-out – Virender Sehwag