Decoding Suryakumar Yadav's two halves in IPL 2023: Key stats
What's the story
Suryakumar Yadav has shown many colors in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. He started poorly but as the tournament progressed, he gained momentum. He finished the league stage on a high and will be extremely crucial for MI in the playoffs. His exquisite grit and determination have helped him turn around a season that started horribly. Here's more.
IPL 2023
A look at SKY's stellar numbers in IPL 2023
Suryakumar despite his initial struggles and lean patch managed to smash 511 runs in 14 innings at an average of 42.58. He has amassed four fifties and a solitary ton this season and will hope to continue the same form in the playoffs. After 2018, this is the second time he has crossed 500-plus runs in a single IPL season.
First half
SKY's poor form in the first half
His poor run of form started in the ODI series against Australia, where he was dismissed for a duck thrice in a row. Mitchell Starc dismissed him twice, while Ashton Agar got rid of him in the last match. He carried that poor run of form to IPL 2023 and his first three scores for MI this season were: 15, 1, and, 0.
Second half
Suryakumar's sensational resurgence in IPL 2023
He announced his return with a 25-ball 43 against KKR, but people were still not convinced as he fell for seven runs in the subsequent match against SRH. His maiden fifty this season came against PBKS and from there the tables turned. 23(12), 55(29), 66(31), 26(22), 83(35), and 103*(49) were his scores in the following six games. He slammed a ton against GT.
Information
Influential in MI's late playoff surge
Just like SKY, MI also started poorly, with only three wins in the first seven matches this season. However, they turned it around winning five out of the next seven. During this period, SKY slammed four 50-plus scores and guided MI to the playoffs.
Strike rate
Highest strike rate in IPL 2023 (min 100 balls)
Suryakumar has scored some valuable runs this season but he has immaculate impact because he scored them at a strike rate of 185.14 He has the highest strike rate among batters to face 100 deliveries this season. Glenn Maxwell (SR: 183.48) and Heinrich Klaasen (SR: 177.07) trail him in this regard. Overall, only Rashid Khan (237.50) and MS Dhoni (190.74) are ahead of him.
Stats
A look at his overall IPL numbers
Suryakumar has compiled 3,155 runs in 137 IPL appearances at an average of 31.87. He owns a strike rate of 142.82 and has slammed 20 fifties and a century in the competition. He is the third-highest run-scorer for MI, having amassed 2,547 runs in 83 matches at 34.89. Only Rohit Sharma (5,022) and Kieron Pollard (3,412) have scored more runs in the MI blue.