Suryakumar Yadav

Mr. 360, Suryakumar Yadav, an entertaining middle-order batsman who has been a vital cog in India’s white-ball setup, Mumbai’s domestic team and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Suryakumar Yadav or SKY as he is popularly known in cricketing circles was mentored by his coach HS Kamath. He then joined the Elf Vengsarkar Academy and was guided by the former Indian cricket Dilip Vengsarkar.

Suryakumar eventually made his first-class debut against Delhi in the 2010-11 Ranji season and top-scored for Mumbai with 73 runs. The next season, he topped the batting charts for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy with 754 runs from nine matches. This tally also included a terrific double hundred against Odisha. If that wasn’t enough, he made a huge 134-run knock against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. 

After a great start to domestic cricket, Suryakumar suffered a failure for the first time as he made only 58 runs in four matches in the next Ranji season. He was back at somewhere around his best with 529 runs in the 2013-14 Ranji season. Since then, there has been no looking back as Surya had established himself as one of the top players in the domestic circuit.

The former Mumbai Ranji captain’s impact can be best noticed through the performances in Mumbai’s triumphs in the bygone years. When Mumbai lifted the Ranji Trophy title in 2015-16, he scored 788 runs from 11 matches while the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy saw him coming up with 241 runs from six innings. Even though Mumbai fell at the final hurdle in the 2016-17 Ranji season, Suryakumar did well with 715 runs from 11 matches.

Despite grind in domestic cricket, it was only in the IPL through which SKY shot to fame. Although Mumbai Indians had Suryakumar in their books during 2011-13, he only played one game during that period. Before the 2014 IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders acquired him for INR 70 lakh and this turned out to be the change he needed. Overall the next four seasons, Suryakumar excelled in the role of a finisher by scoring 608 runs in 54 matches. He made a name for himself by playing some unbelievable wristy flicks in the ‘V’ behind the striker’s end. His innovative shots also had a lot of eye-catchy scoops which often upset the plans of the opposition captains and bowlers. 

However, a return to Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2018 IPL season for a sum of INR 3.2 Crores brought out the best in Suryakumar as the franchise played him generally at number 3 or 4. The statistics also improved as he scored 512 runs from 14 matches in the 2018 IPL before making 424 runs from 16 matches in a title-winning 2019 season. 

The subsequent IPL season in 2020, proved to be defining for the dynamic right-handed batter. He amassed 480 runs at an average of 40, strike rate of 145+ with 4 half-centuries to his name.

Mumbai Indians went on to lift their 5th IPL title and became only the second team to secure wins in consecutive seasons.

Calls for Suryakumar’s maiden India cap resonated across the country and beyond after impressive performances season after season. His stare-off against the then-Indian captain, Virat Kohli, during a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the same season caused a lot of uproar within the cricketing fraternity. Selectors eventually picked Suryakumar Yadav for the England white-ball series in early 2021. He started his international career with his trademark flick shot behind square off Jofra Archer.

Earlier Mumbai Indians decided to retain India’s very own ‘AB de Villiers’ for INR 8 crores during the mega-auctions. SKY also went on to receive his debut cap in ODIs against Sri Lanka in July. 

The Mumbai batter changed the landscape of T20 cricket since making his international debut. In 43 innings so far in T20Is, SKY has bagged 1578 runs to his name at an outstanding average of 46.41 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 180. Head and Shoulders above the rest.

His T20I feats include 13 half-centuries and 3 top-class centuries against England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. SKY ended up as the leading run-getter in T20Is for the calendar year 2022. 

The Mumbaikar scored 239 runs in 6 games in the 2022 T20 World Cup, the third most in the tournament. His knock against South Africa, on an unplayable surface at Perth, being the highlight of the tournament, along with fireworks against the Netherlands.

(As of January 2023)