Suryakumar Yadav began this Indian Premier League (IPL) in poor form, having struggled in an ODI series against the visiting Australians.
People were eager to take on him when his IPL started off with a poor form. However, as a saying goes, form is temporary but class is permanent, as Surya showed in recent games.
SKY’s top form shows why he was seen as one of the world’s best T20 batsmen. Mumbai Indians started the season with a few losses but have come back in spectacular form, with Surya’s batting being one of the reasons for their recovery.
Suryakumar has been an essential player in MI’s lineup for many years, and his particular variety of strokes has been a major concern for opponents. The Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the teams he has caused a lot of problems for. He’s had some incredible innings against the franchise when MI needed someone to come up.
On that topic, here are SKY’s top three knocks against RCB.
1) 83 of 35 Balls (Mumbai, 2023)
This is the latest instance SKY has caused trouble for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. MI were given a target of 200 on what was a fantastic batting pitch. When SKY stepped out to bat, MI were comfortably positioned at 51-1, but they lost another wicket in the same over, that of skipper Rohit Sharma.
SKY, never one to back down, took on the bowlers and formed a superb 140-run partnership with youngster Nehal Wadhera. Suryakumar Yadav finished with 83 runs off 35 balls and a strike rate of 237.14.
By the time he got out, MI had the game well in hand, eventually winning with 3.3 overs to spare. SKY was duly awarded player of the match for his outstanding performance.
2) 79* of 44 Balls (Abu Dhabi, 2020)
Suryakumar Yadav scored 79 not out off 43 balls in a game between MI and RCB at Abu Dhabi during IPL 2020.
The Mumbai Indians were chasing a 165-run total set by RCB in the first innings. Suryakumar Yadav batted at number three and took the attack to the RCB bowlers right away. Despite receiving little help from the other batsmen, he hit some beautiful drives and powerful strokes to dominate the RCB bowlers.
Suryakumar Yadav’s innings had 10 boundaries and three sixes, and he finished the match undefeated. His performance helped MI in reaching the target with 5 deliveries remaining. This innings also won him the match-winning effort and the player of the match award.
3) 68* of 37 Balls (Pune, 2022)
MI lost the toss and was called in to bat first in a game between MI and RCB in 2022. When Surya came out to bat, MI was 60-2, but they quickly fell to 79-6. RCB were well ahead, and it appeared that MI would struggle to reach even 100.
That’s when SKY took over and played a fantastic knock at a moment when his team really needed one. He hammered 68 runs off 37 deliveries, including six maximums, which helped his team achieve a more-than-respectable total of 151.
The score was easily chased down by RCB with nine balls to spare, but Surya’s effort helped MI make a game of it.
