Suryakumar Yadav is an Indian cricketer who shines on both the domestic and international stages, representing the Indian national team and Mumbai cricket team as a right-handed batsman. He also plays for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and credit can be given to his contributions with the franchise for achieving global recognition.
From a young age, Suryakumar developed an interest in both cricket and badminton. His father, Ashok Kumar Yadav, wanted him to focus solely on one sport and build his career in that. When he was 10 years old, his family moved from Varanasi to Mumbai.
Recognizing Suryakumar’s skills and talent in sports, Ashok enrolled him in a cricket camp in Chembur, Mumbai. At the age of 12, he joined the Dilip Vengsarkar Academy, where he received guidance from the former Indian great Dilip Vengsarkar himself.
Suryakumar pursued his education at Pillai College of Arts, Commerce, and Science. In 2011, he won the M.A. Chidambaram Trophy for the best Under-22 cricketer of the year. He scored 721 runs in seven matches at an average of 80.11, including four half-centuries and a few centuries.
The cricketer has a fondness for tattoos and has adorned various designs and characters on different parts of his body, including an image of his parents on his right shoulder.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Cricket Journey
Starting his domestic career,
Suryakumar played his first List-A match on February 11, 2010, representing Mumbai against Gujarat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He quickly scored 41 runs off 37 balls, becoming the second-highest scorer in the match.
A few months later, he made his T20 debut for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Hyderabad. He scored 5 runs before being dismissed, and the team faced a significant defeat by 7 wickets.
In 2010, Suryakumar made his mark in first-class cricket by debuting for Mumbai against Delhi. He played a remarkable innings, scoring the highest 73 runs in the match.
His breakthrough came in the 2011-12 Ranji season, where he averaged 68.54 and scored 754 runs in nine matches. He achieved back-to-back centuries and played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s run chart.
Before the 2014-15 Ranji season, Suryakumar was appointed as the captain of the Mumbai team. Despite his average of 53.88 and 487 runs, he stepped down from the captaincy after a narrow loss to Tamil Nadu. He expressed his desire to focus on his batting.
In the 2019-20 season, Suryakumar was reinstated as the captain of Mumbai a week before the start of the season. He played a stunning innings of 94 runs off 41 balls against Karnataka, leading Mumbai to victory.
Suryakumar Yadav’s IPL Career
Impressed by his talent, Mumbai Indians acquired Suryakumar Yadav in the 2012 IPL season. However, he faced challenges in making a mark due to the presence of seasoned players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Kieron Pollard.
In the 2014 IPL auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought Suryakumar for ₹70 lakhs. He became part of the championship-winning team, contributing significantly with his performances.
His standout moment came in the IPL 2015, where he played a match-winning innings of 46 runs off 20 balls against Mumbai Indians, complementing Rohit Sharma’s impressive 98-run innings.
After a brief stint with other franchises, Suryakumar returned to Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL mega auction. He continued to make notable contributions in the subsequent seasons.
In IPL 2020, he amassed 480 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 145.01, emerging as the second-highest run-scorer for MI after Quinton de Kock.
Ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction, Suryakumar was retained by Mumbai Indians as their fourth-choice player. He played eight matches, scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 145.67 before being dropped for the remainder of the season.
Suryakumar Yadav’s International Career
After a decade of hard work in domestic cricket and IPL, Suryakumar earned a well-deserved spot in the senior Indian men’s cricket team. He made his international debut in T20I cricket against England on March 14, 2021, in Ahmedabad. Although he didn’t get a chance to bat in his first match, he made a mark with a fifty in his fourth T20I.
Since then, Suryakumar has continued to make valuable contributions on the international stage.