Suryakumar Yadav in action during IPL 2026© AFP
It has been a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign for Suryakumar Yadav till now as the Mumbai Indians star batter has scored 157 runs in 7 matches. The Indian cricket team T20I skipper was already under fire for his poor white-ball form and his dismal run in the IPL has not helped matters. Suryakumar had a chance to drag his team out of trouble during the match against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday but he ended up scoring 36 off 30 balls before falling to the similar plan as he was dismissed while trying to play a sweep shot. Former India batter Wasim Jaffer said that Suryakumar needs to become more unpredictable in his batting approach and try to play the ball straight down the ground as a Plan B to his usual game.
“SKY is getting trapped in similar fashion again and again. Teams set field for that restricting his leg side and behind the wicket shots. He needs plan B. Maybe go straighter or hit over covers. Don’t be predictable. Too good a player to get caught in the same trap,” Jaffer wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh praised CSK’s spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmed, who took six wickets combined, especially their intent to get a breakthrough rather than opting for a defensive approach. He specifically mentioned the plan laid by Hosein to dismiss Suryakumar during the match.
“What stood out was the intent of CSK’s spinners to take wickets. They were actually spinning the ball, which you don’t always see in T20 cricket these days. The amount of turn on this pitch was significant, and they used it brilliantly,” he said.
“Akeal Hosein, in particular, was outstanding. The way he dismissed Suryakumar Yadav, knowing his strength against the sweep, showed great awareness. For me, his spell was just as impactful as Samson’s century. Four wickets in a game like this is no less than a match-winning contribution,” he added.
(With IANS inputs)
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