Suryakumar Yadav has been going through a purple patch in his career. He displayed some incredible knocks during the recently finished T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), besides helping the team celebrate their second title of the event with a spectacular catch in the boundary line during the final of the tournament.
With Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Blue Brigade, taking his retirement from the shortest format of the game at the end of the successful campaign, Suryakumar Yadav became the new captain of the Indian side in the T20Is, as he also started on a powerful note by winning the three-match series in Sri Lanka.
The 33-year-old made a late appearance in the format in 2021 against England. In three years, he has been part of 71 T20Is for the Indian team, where he has smashed 2432 runs at an average of 42.66 and a strike rate of nearly 170, with the help of 20 half-centuries and four centuries at a best score of 117.
KKR to exchange Shreyas Iyer with Suryakumar Yadav for IPL 2025- Reports
Suryakumar Yadav was the vice-captain of the Mumbai Indians under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. When the management decided to remove the latter from the leadership position, Sky was supposed to take the place, but they decided to bring back Hardik Pandya as the captain of the IPL 2024.
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The decision received so many questions, as the fans didn’t welcome the decision positively by showing their disappointment throughout the tournament. Mumbai finished with the wooden spoon during the event.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders enjoyed their smooth ride in the tournament, as they captured their third title of the tournament under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. They went on to gain victory in nine of the 14 encounters of the tournament at a net run rate of +1.428.
There was so much praise for Iyer’s captaincy and how he managed the players in a great way for the whole season. But the Knights will have a different mentor for the next season, as Gambhir has become the new head coach of the Indian team.
Recent reports have confirmed that KKR has offered Suryakumar Yadav the captaincy role for the next season of the IPL, as they could look to swap the veteran with Iyer to the Mumbai Indians, in which case, they could leave out Hardik Pandya for the upcoming year of the league.
Sky has been part of the Knights for a long time in the past. He made a late appearance during last year’s event, where he shamed 345 runs in 11 innings at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of nearly 170, celebrating three fifties and one century. Iyer enjoyed the season as well, collecting 351 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39 and a strike rate of around 150, with the help of two half-centuries.
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Overall, Suryakumar Yadav has cracked 3594 runs in 135 innings of the league, at an average of 32.09 and a strike rate of over 145, thanks to his 24 half-centuries and a couple of centuries. He was part of the KKR set-up when they won their second title in 2014 before being traded to the Mumbai Indians in exchange for Nitish Rana.
The whole decision depends on the 33-year-old and the five-time champions. With not much time left for the mega auction of the IPL 2025, they need to take a quick call, which could decide their future as well.