Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket Zaheer Khan on Thursday confirmed that fit-again Suryakumar Yadav will be available for selection when the 5-time champions take on Rajasthan Royals in their 2nd game of the season on Saturday. Suryakumar Yadav has been out of action for a few months due to a hairline fracture in his thumb. While he top-scored in the T20I series against West Indies in February, the star batter missed the limited-overs assignment against Sri Lanka."Suryakumar Yadav is a retained player and has been a key member of this side and we are all eagerly waiting for him to take the field. In terms of his availability for the next game, yes, he is," Zaheer, MI's director of cricket operations said on the eve of his team's match.
Suryakumar has been a vital member of the MI core, churning out several match-winning performances consistently. Since being bought in the 2018 mega auction, Suryakumar has scored over 300 runs each season, going past 400 twice and 500 once. Zaheer lauded Surya’s range, and said that although using him tactically was on the cards, the preference would be to stick with what has worked so far. “To have that kind of flexibility is always an advantage for any team,” Zaheer said. “Tactically, you will have that advantage and that’s how we are also looking at it. So there is a possibility, or depending on the position we are playing and the conditions we are playing in, we might opt for that kind of option. But at the moment, the discussions are pretty much to stick with whatever has been working for us and whatever a player can bring in, in terms of maximum impact.” Suryakumar Yadav was not available for Mumbai Indians' opening match of the IPL 2022 against Delhi Capitals and his absence was felt dearly as the five-time champions lost the match by four wickets.
