Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene said that Suryakumar Yadav had a strain in his groin, that is why he was used as an impact sub. The star batsman scored 16 runs as MI defeated KKR in their first match of IPL 2026.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has given a big update on the fitness of Suryakumar Yadav. This update came after the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29. When India’s T20I captain was kept out of the playing XI and included in the team as an impact sub, everyone was surprised. Fans were raising questions as to why a player of such stature in the team was not directly included in the playing XI. Jayawardene spoke on the matter in the press conference after the match. He confirmed that Yadav had a groin strain. He explained that Suryakumar was fit for batting, but not for fielding for long.
The coach gave the reason
Jayawardene told reporters, “Hopefully you guys will not create unnecessary stories. Everyone is very happy in the camp. Everyone is happy. Sky came, joined us. He also needed some extra days. He joined the team. He had a slight strain in his groin. He was fielding and everything. I knew there was a time of 5 days between this game and the next game. I just wanted to give him a little more time. He is after all. Was also ready to field 3-4 overs.”
Suryakumar came to bat at number 3 in the second innings as an impact sub. He hit a four on his very first ball and scored 16 runs in 8 balls with the help of 3 fours. His strike rate was 200. Mumbai Indians won their opening match of the season for the first time since 2012. The team defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets with 5 balls left.
Batting first, KKR scored 220/4. Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored brilliant half-centuries. Shardul Thakur was the most successful bowler for Mumbai by taking 3 wickets, while Hardik Pandya got one wicket. In reply, MI’s openers laid the foundation for the win. Rohit Sharma played a stormy innings of 78 runs, while Ryan Rickelton was the top scorer with 81 runs. Their partnership ensured that the team did not stray from the target. From KKR, Sunil Narine, Karthik Tyagi and Vaibhav Arora got one wicket each, but they could not stop Mumbai from winning.