Jayawardene reveals Suryakumar Yadav’s role as impact player in Mumbai Indians’ first match

Game Desk: Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Sunday revealed the decision to use Suryakumar Yadav as an impact player in the first match of IPL 2026. Jayawardene said that Yadav had a slight back problem, so he was fielded as an impact player out of caution. This move was taken after careful consideration, so that Suryakumar Yadav remains fit and available throughout the season.

“Sky (Suryakumar Yadav) joined us. He had a little tightness in his back. He was fielding, and I knew I would get five days till the next match. So, I wanted to give him a little more time. It was a precautionary move, because he is a very important player for us for the entire season,” Jayawardene told reporters.

Suryakumar Yadav scored 16 runs in just eight balls in the match, but Mumbai Indians did not need his full firepower. The brilliant opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton had already achieved the target of 221 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) scored 220 runs while batting first, where Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s half-century and Rinku Singh’s cameo gave the team a good score. However, Mumbai Indians won the match by six wickets with the help of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton.

Jayawardene also praised the excellent performances of Rohit and Rickleton. “The way Rohit and Ryan batted was worth watching. It was a great performance and they executed the team’s game plan very well,” he said.

The win was the first for Mumbai Indians in the opening game since IPL 2012, which came after losing 13 consecutive matches.

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