Mumbai Indians batting star Suryakumar Yadav and his wife, Devisha Shetty, have welcomed a baby girl. The India T20 captain shared the news on Thursday, writing on Instagram about “giggles, bows, and dreams to unfurl” as he welcomed their child.
While the family celebrated the new arrival, Yadav was not part of the first group of MI players who travelled to Raipur ahead of the franchise’s next IPL 2026 outing. MI are set to play Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, and the squad trip began on Wednesday.
Quick facts
- Suryakumar Yadav and Devisha Shetty welcomed a baby girl on Thursday.
- Yadav posted the announcement on Instagram.
- He was not included in MI’s first travelling batch to Raipur on Wednesday.
- MI’s next match in IPL 2026 is against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.
- Yadav captained Mumbai Indians in their previous match versus Lucknow Super Giants.
In the lead-up to the RCB fixture, Yadav had been in charge for Mumbai’s most recent game against Lucknow Super Giants. MI also saw congratulations from within its camp, with the franchise and team-mate Deepak Chahar extending their wishes to the new parents.
Yadav has previously spoken about the influence his wife has had on his career. He has credited Devisha with pushing him toward an even more focused approach that ultimately helped him earn national recognition.
One of the defining moments came back in 2018, when Devisha asked him a direct question about his route to playing for India. Eight years after that “brutally honest conversation,” Yadav later described how he went on to lead India to a successful T20 World Cup title defence in 2026.
Recalling their early conversation, Yadav said they married in 2016 while he was still playing for KKR. He explained that things were “going very smoothly” at first—his form, his routine, and his enjoyment of the game—until Devisha began looking at his journey and timeline with him, particularly as his move to Mumbai Indians came in 2018.
He said Devisha pointed out that many of the players he had competed with at age-group level were now representing India, and asked what he had in mind. Yadav then responded in Hindi—“Mujhe bhi India khelna hai (I want to play for India too)”—before she followed up with the challenge: “Kaise kheloge (how do you plan to do it)?”
Rather than framing it as an argument, Yadav described it as a conversation that helped him take “one extra step forward” in his pursuit. His central question to himself became clear: if he wanted to play for India and win games for India, what would he need to do to make it happen?
After that decision, the couple made major changes to their day-to-day life, and Yadav said the adjustments were wide-ranging. He noted they had to reduce many things—diet, social circles, and even weekends—while keeping a more structured routine with rest planned over Saturday and Sunday and a work schedule running from Monday to Friday.
He linked those changes to his performance surge in 2018, pointing to a strong IPL campaign where he scored 512 runs, along with domestic cricket success. Yadav also said that year gave him the opportunity to open for Mumbai Indians, and that he managed to add runs in that role as well.
From there, Yadav said they kept repeating the approach through 2019 and 2020, describing a shift in mindset and an increased enjoyment of the work. He added that 2020 turned out to be even better for him as a finisher, when he scored 480 runs, before his efforts culminated in his selection for India in 2021.
