MI vs GT: Will Suryakumar Yadav play for Mumbai Indians against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 Match 5?

Will Suryakumar Yadav play today? The answer is a clear No. While there has been no definite update on Suryakumar Yadav’s ankle injury, it’s almost certain that the star batter would be missing Mumbai Indians’ (Mi) season opener against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 24), and maybe a couple of more matches.

Suryakumar Yadav is out of action ever since slamming a hundred in the third T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg. The knock helped India level the 3-match series 1-1 under his captaincy, however the right-hander injured his ankle in the same match.

Thereafter, the 33-year-old has undergone two surgeries – one for an ankle, and the other for sports hernia. He missed the home T20I series against Afghanistan in January due to the same injury.

Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing today?

Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher has also not given a clear picture on Suryakumar Yadav. He informed that the BCCI was taking care of his injury.

“Surya at the moment is on the guidance of the Indian cricket team as well,” Boucher said at the pre-season press conference in Mumbai on Monday.

“Just waiting for updates on that. I don’t like to micromanage. We’ve got a world class medical team that’s in control of all of that. Yes, the past, we have had a few fitness issues. We are always going to be in that sort of domain of having fitness issues as other teams are as well.

“Every time I look at my WhatsApp’s there’s reports of other teams also losing players. We trust our medical team that they’re doing the right things. Look, if we lose one or two from fitness perspective, it is what it is. That’s important and we just have to keep on the right track and sharp on replacements.”

Suryakumar Yadav missed out on the two warm-up matches Mumbai played before travelling to Mumbai to play in their IPL 2024 opener against Gujarat at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, March 24.

Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai’s leading run-scorer in IPL 2024, posted a ‘broken heart’ emoji in his Instagram Story last week amid questions over his fitness. He is currently at the NCA in Bengaluru, hustling hard to get back in action. “Kaam chalu hasi doston. Milte hain jaldo,” his Instagram post from the NCA read on March 14.

His fitness is also crucial for Team India as the T20 World Cup 2024 will start in June right after the completion of IPL 2024.