Are Hardik and Suryakumar not on the same page, 'team sheet' increases tension
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Suryakumar Yadav, the captain who won the T20 World Cup for India and one of the most reliable batsmen of the team, was not a part of the playing eleven, instead he was kept in the list of impact subs. This decision was a bit surprising because recently he had made India win the T20 World Cup. In such a situation the question arises, is he injured? Is this a strategic decision? Or is there some other reason behind this?
World Cup champion captain Suryakumar Yadav becoming an impact player raised many questions.
New Delhi. Every match in IPL is not just a story of runs and wickets, sometimes the team sheet becomes the biggest headline. Something similar happened in Mumbai Indians' first match of IPL 2026, when a big name was seen out of the playing eleven but as the match progressed, whispers started whether everything was going well between the Mumbai captain and the World Cup champion captain or there was something else.
The team sheet of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the opening match of IPL 2026 surprised everyone even before the ball was bowled. Suryakumar Yadav, the captain who won the T20 World Cup for India and one of the most reliable batsmen of the team, was not a part of the playing eleven, instead he was kept in the list of impact subs. This decision was a bit surprising because recently he had made India win the T20 World Cup. In such a situation the question arises, is he injured? Is this a strategic decision? Or is there some other reason behind this? By the end of the match, Mumbai Indians easily achieved the big target of 221 runs, but Suryakumar's limited role remained the center of discussion. Soon head coach Mahila Jayawardene clarified the situation.
The issue regarding fitness has been cleared up
Mumbai Indians head coach Jayawardene clarified that this decision was not related to form or team combination, but was taken keeping in mind a minor fitness problem. He said, “Hopefully we will not create unnecessary stories. Everyone is happy in the camp. Sky had joined the team by taking a few extra days. He had a slight stiffness in his groin. He was fielding, but we have five days till the next match, so I wanted to give him a little more rest. He himself was ready to play 3-4 overs in the end, but I refused.
Last season, Mumbai Indians used Rohit Sharma as an impact sub, where he used to come only to bat. At that time questions were raised about his fitness. However, in the last few months, Rohit has looked more fit, agile and focused. He is also a reliable fielder and helps the team with his strategic understanding on the field. The coach also stressed that the decision was taken purely as a precautionary measure, especially keeping in mind the long tournament. These players are very important for me and I want them to remain fit throughout the season. That's why these are well thought out decisions, there is no other reason behind it.
If you were unfit then how were you running?
Suryakumar Yadav later came on the field as an impact sub during the chase and played a quick inning of 16 runs in 8 balls. He made his intentions clear by hitting a boundary on the very first ball. While batting at number three, he showed an aggressive style. His performance in the T20 World Cup was average, so his confident style was special. The interesting thing is that seeing his footwork and running between the wickets, it did not seem that he was suffering from a groin problem.
In such a situation, the question now arises that why coach Jayawardene made the excuse of fitness. A few days ago, there was a lot of discussion about the fact that only the World Cup winning captain should captain Mumbai, on which Hardik did not give any reaction but this news created a stir in the Mumbai camp. Even before this, when Hardik was made the captain of Mumbai Indians by replacing Rohit, there was a lot of uproar. It seems as if neither the fans nor the teammates are able to digest Hardik as captain.
