Over time, Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as the face of contemporary T20 batting. The Mumbai Indians legend and current captain of India T20I has not only mentored young players’ shooting skills but also demonstrated how to be reliable in the IPL. The 34-year-old talked about how he has changed and how much effort goes into his performances.
In his early days with the team, the right-hander claimed that he primarily warmed the bench. However, since 2020, his career has taken a new turn in both the IPL and international cricket.
“Everything about the T20 format has changed in the last several years, including strike and scoring rates. Prior to 2020, I would bat at a strike rate of 140–150, but I recognised that in order to be the best, I needed to change. Returning to the drawing board, I worked on match simulations and began honing shots that would keep me ahead of captains and bowlers.
I concentrated on taking advantage of certain opportunities and minimising risk between 2021 and 2024,” he stated on JioHotstar’s special program, The Suryakumar Yadav Experience.
His second IPL century and one of the most memorable knocks in a victorious run-chase for MI came against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 IPL, when he smashed an undefeated 102 off 51 balls. Mumbai’s campaign got back on track after the innings, which featured 12 fours and six sixes.
“I’ve already practiced everything I do in matches lately, and I aim to duplicate those sessions precisely. Because it resulted from all that work and clarity, scoring a T20 century felt really wonderful,” Surya continued.
Carrying the same form into IPL 2025, the veteran batter is currently sitting in the third position of the top run-scorers list. He recently surpassed 4000 IPL runs, becoming the fastest Indian to reach the feat in just 2714 balls. In the match against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede, Suryakumar also brought up 150 sixes in the league.
The MI batter has played a huge role in helping his team hold the third spot on the points table after a sluggish start. The five-time champions will be next seen in action against the Rajasthan Royals on May 01 in Jaipur.
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