Suryakumar Yadav regains batting form after T20I captaincy debacle
What's the story
Suryakumar Yadav has shown his intent to reclaim a spot in the national team with an explosive performance in the T20 Mumbai League 2026. The seasoned batsman scored an impressive 72 runs off just 36 balls, leading his team, Triumph Knights North East Mumbai, to victory against Maratha Royals at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. This was a knock of statement as SKY has been dropped for India's upcoming T20I tours.
Match details
Suryakumar's explosive knock against Maratha Royals
In the match against Maratha Royals, Suryakumar displayed his vintage form, scoring 72 runs off just 36 balls while batting at four. He remained unbeaten and smashed 13 fours and a six as his team chased down a target of 153 with four overs to spare. This was Triumph Knights's first win of the season after three consecutive losses.
Recent form
Back-to-back knocks for Suryakumar in T20 Mumbai League
Since being dropped from India's squad for the Ireland and England tour, Suryakumar has been in good form. On Saturday, the 35-year-old scored a quick-fire 48 off 24 balls against SoBO Mumbai Falcons. However, prior to that, he had only managed scores of 19 (11) and four (six) in his first two games as speculation about his future grew ahead of the selection meeting. He was eventually dropped from the side despite captaining India to the T20 World Cup title a few months back. Shreyas Iyer is India's new T20I skipper.
Captaincy challenges
His numbers since becoming captain
Despite his stellar record, Suryakumar has struggled with the bat since becoming India's permanent captain in July 2024. He has played 45 matches and scored just 932 runs at an average of 25.88 since the Sri Lanka tour, his first series as a full-time Indian captain. In the 2026 season with Mumbai Indians (MI), he managed only 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76.
Post-removal response
The surprise decision by selectors
Suryakumar's removal as captain and exclusion from the Indian team came as a surprise to many. He was expected to get another chance, but chief selector Ajit Agarkar had other plans. Despite his struggles with the bat, Suryakumar was given chances after chances since he had been made captain in 2024 with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Career
Here are his T20I stats
Despite the recent slump, SKY's overall T20I stats are still exemplary. He has scored 3,272 at an average of 36.35 across 113 games (50s: 25, 100s: 4). The batter has scored these runs at a strike rate of 162.94. SKY holds the record for the third-most Player-of-the-Match awards in the shortest format (17). He is also the only player to have scored T20I centuries in four different nations—South Africa, England, New Zealand, and India.