Mumbai Indians' nightmare! Suryakumar Yadav doubtful for GT vs MI IPL 2024 clash

In a massive setback for the Mumbai Indians (MI), the star middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav is in major doubts for the IPL 2024 opening clash of his side against Gujarat Titans (GT), which will be held on March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Suryakumar Yadav is the No.1 batsman in the ICC T20I Rankings and he is one of the most important members of the MI batting line-up. Even though the 5-time champions have good backup options available, the absence of a player of Suryakumar Yadav’s caliber will be a colossal blow to the team.

Suryakumar Yadav was last seen on the cricket field in December 2023 during the South Africa tour. He picked up an ankle injury in the third T20I against the Proteas where he played an astonishing knock of 100 runs off 56 balls. Following his injury, the star T20I batsman underwent two surgeries for his ankle and sports hernia.

After undergoing surgery, he wasn’t able to take part in the home three-match T20I series against Afghanistan National Cricket Team where the batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their T20I comeback. He subsequently missed the DY Patil tournament as he wasn’t deemed fit to play.

Meanwhile, the reports in ESPNcricinfo state that the middle-order batsman is doubtful for Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2024 opener due to ankle surgery. Suryakumar, who has been exceptional with the bat in the last few seasons, will also miss the warm-up matches, which will be played on Monday and Wednesday.

Suryakumar Yadav at the moment is under the guidance of the Indian cricket team – Mark Boucher

On Monday, March 18, the Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mark Boucher and captain Hardik Pandya attended a press conference. During the interaction with the reporters, Boucher provided an update on Suryakumar Yadav, saying that he is under BCCI’s observation and they are waiting for an update on his return. He also said that they will move on in case they lose a few players due to fitness issues.

“Surya at the moment is on the guidance of the Indian cricket team as well. Just waiting for updates on that. I don’t like to micromanage. We’ve got a world-class medical team that’s in control of all of that. Yes, the past, we have had a few fitness issues. We are always going to be in that sort of domain of having fitness issues as other teams are as well.

“Every time I look at my WhatsApp’s there’s reports of other teams also losing players. We trust our medical team that they’re doing the right things. Look, if we lose one or two from fitness perspective, it is what it is. That’s important and we just have to keep on the right track and sharp on replacements.”

Talking about Mumbai Indians, they recently underwent a major change as Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma at the helm. The decision to remove Rohit Sharma from captaincy despite being the joint-most successful IPL captain wasn’t received well by the fans. Also, at the press conference, Mark Boucher and Hardik Pandya ignored the question about Rohit Sharma’s sacking.