Indians will be racing against time for the availability of the star batter Suryakumar Yadav for the first two matches of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
Suryakumar is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after going under the knife for the sports hernia surgery earlier this year.
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will play against Gujarat Titans in their opening match on March 24 and it is unlikely that Suryakumar will be fit for the game.
“Surya’s rehabilitation is on track and he will certainly ‘Return to Play’ in the IPL itself. However, it is still not clear whether the NCA’s Sports Science and Medical Team will give clearance to play in the first two away games against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers
Hyderabad (March 27),” PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying on condition of anonymity.
As per the world no. 1 T20I batter’s Instagram account, the player has started training and fitness regime but is yet to return to nets. However, in one of his posts last month, the right-handed batter claimed that his recovery is going ‘on point’ with a video of him doing strength and conditioning drills.
“There are still 12 days to go before MI play their first game but it could be a race against time to get fit by the first match itself,” the source said.
Suryakumar is a solid pillar of Mumbai’s batting line-up with 3,249 IPL runs to his name at a strike rate of 143.32. The last edition of IPL was the best season for Suryakumar in the tournament as he amassed 605 runs at a strike rate of 181.14 including his maiden hundred and five half-centuries.
For India also, Suryakumar’s form in the IPL 2024 will be a boost before the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. He has scored 2,141 runs for India in 60 T20Is including four centuries and 17 fifties.
In his last appearance for India during the South Africa tour, Suryakumar smashed 56-ball 100 studded with eight sixes and seven fours. He will be crucial in India’s batting order in the T20I pinnacle event.
This year, Mumbai Indians will see Hardik Pandya as their captain after he was traded back from Gujarat Titans in all cash deal. Hardik will replace Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians skipper in IPL 2024.