Suryakumar Yadav (AP Photo)
New Delhi: Mumbai Indians stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav is set to miss the side’s match against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday due to personal reasons. It’s learned that the right-hander has decided against travelling and has already communicated his decision to the team management ahead of their next fixture.The five-time IPL champions will now miss not only their regular captain Hardik Pandya but also the stand-in captain Suryakumar.TimesofIndia.com can confirm that Jasprit Bumrah will lead Mumbai Indians for this fixture. Considering MI have already been eliminated from the playoff race and the contest is effectively a dead rubber for the five-time champions, the franchise could have opted to rest Bumrah. However, the unavailability of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav means Bumrah will not only have to play, but also captain the side.Interestingly, this will be the first time Bumrah captains Mumbai Indians, making him the franchise’s 10th captain.Tilak Varma could have been one of the choices for captaincy, but his priority right now would be to get his act right with the bat as he has been unable to make the most of the chances this season. Apart from one hundred and one half-century, his returns have been far from ideal. He would hope to end the season on a high note with impactful contributions in the last three games.
Who should captain the Mumbai Indians against Punjab Kings?
After the game against Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians are scheduled to play two more games. All eyes will now be on the availability of the regular captain and stand-in captain for the remaining two games. Suryakumar has been woefully out of form and should ideally use these remaining games to regain his confidence. As far as Hardik is concerned, the official word remains that he is recovering from the back injury but the all-rounder continues to train away from the pack in Mumbai.Rohit Sharma update: He isn’t 100% yet and hasn’t been cleared by the Mumbai Indians medical team to take the field. Will continue to bat and observe proceedings from the boundary rope with the coaching staff.
