Suryakumar Yadav, the Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman, is excited for their first match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 2 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In a video shared on MI’s official Twitter, Yadav expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming season and his pleasure at being able to practice at the Wankhede Stadium again.
“It’s a great feeling and really looking forward to this season. It’s the same feeling I feel whenever I come here and practice. Feels good. I mean to come back here [Wankhede Stadium] and have a hit.”
Suryakumar Yadav, who was retained by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 8 crore ahead of IPL 2023, aims to leave behind his disappointing performance in the recent ODI series against Australia. He scored 303 runs in eight IPL matches last year, with three fifties and a strike rate of 145.67, and is an essential player for MI’s quest for a sixth IPL title. In 123 IPL games, Yadav has scored 2644 runs with 16 half-centuries at a strike rate of 136.78.
Reports suggest Suryakumar Yadav to be stand-in MI captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence
During IPL 2023, Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead the Mumbai Indians as the stand-in captain in place of Rohit Sharma, who will reportedly sit out for workload management ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Head coach Mark Boucher said in a press conference on Wednesday, “If I can get the best out of him (Rohit Sharma) as a captain and as a player, it’ll be great. If it means that he’s going to rest one or two games, then I’ll do that, absolutely. Not a problem.”
However, former cricketer and current commentator Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disapproval of the concept of workload management. He said, “There should be no restrictions on players in IPL. Owners spend money on them and they should have the freedom to use a player as much as they want. IPL should be given a special status in that regard.”