Suryakumar Yadav is going through a phase no one would have expected from one of T20 cricket\u2019s most fluent batters. The Mumbai Indians skipper, who has built much of his reputation on strike and shot-making, is currently finding it extremely difficult to score consistently in the Indian Premier League. On Monday night, MI secured a win under his leadership against the Lucknow Super Giants, yet the captain\u2019s own batting effort once again fell short\u2014he managed only 12 runs off seven balls.<\/p>\n
After the first ten matches of the IPL season, the right-hander has managed just one half-century. His overall output has been one of the key reasons Mumbai have struggled to climb out of the lower half of the points table.<\/p>\n
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the root of Suryakumar\u2019s lean patch lies in how the batter has handled his physical condition as he has moved into his mid-30s. Speaking on Sportstar\u2019s Insight Edge Podcast, Manjrekar suggested that the game\u2019s pace and demands punish any decline in fitness, especially in a format where execution has to be near-perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s as fit as he was five or six years ago. He may be older, but it\u2019s not just age\u2014it\u2019s fitness-wise as well,\u201d Manjrekar said. \u201cWhen you get past a certain age and don\u2019t manage your physical condition properly, T20 cricket starts exposing you. Things you used to take for granted\u2014like picking the ball early and playing those shots\u2014become harder to pull off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manjrekar went on to lay out what he would change if he were working directly with Suryakumar. His view was that the focus should shift more toward becoming lighter on his feet, improving strength, and spending time on conditioning rather than spending the majority of practice time simply batting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m certain about one thing: his fitness isn\u2019t where it should be. If I were his personal coach, I\u2019d tell him to get lighter on his feet, get stronger, and spend time on that instead of practising all the time,\u201d Manjrekar said. \u201cBut that\u2019s also his game\u2014so you want the physical tools to match the intent he already has.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also quantified Suryakumar\u2019s IPL 2026 numbers so far. The batter has scored 195 runs in ten matches for Mumbai Indians at an average of 19.50, and he is not inside the top 30 run-scorers in the 19th edition of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Manjrekar then urged Suryakumar to take cues from Virat Kohli\u2019s approach to physical preparation. In his comparison, he pointed to how Kohli has endured difficult stretches in T20 cricket while still managing to bounce back, crediting fitness as a major differentiator in those recoveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake a leaf out of Virat Kohli\u2019s book. Virat isn\u2019t in his early 30s; he\u2019s in that phase too and he\u2019s had tough times in T20 cricket. But look at him this season,\u201d Manjrekar said. \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference in the fitness of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Virat Kohli? Honestly, all the other things are there with him. Surya has experience, he knows how to score, and he\u2019s seen success\u2014so the mental side is in place. Just get your body to support your intent, and I thought Rohit also dipped because he didn\u2019t take care of his fitness as much as he should. It just made things more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see that with Surya as well. So if you\u2019re going to take your fitness levels to the next level\u2014go into extreme fitness the way Virat does\u2014that\u2019s the direction,\u201d Manjrekar added. \u201cI\u2019ve said this before. When Virat gets any success, the first thing he credits is his physical fitness. For Surya, that\u2019s the missing piece. If he focuses on his physical factors, the mental side will take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the IPL, Manjrekar also highlighted concerns about Suryakumar\u2019s form for India in recent times. He noted that the batter has had a couple of underwhelming years overall, and said that while there was improvement earlier, the current drop has raised doubts about whether Suryakumar can continue to be a key figure in India\u2019s shortest-format plans.<\/p>\n
Last year in T20 internationals, Suryakumar did not score a single fifty for India. The only major consolation, according to the assessment, came in the IPL where he struck 717 runs for Mumbai Indians.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, however, there were signs of his old rhythm. Suryakumar looked like himself again during the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where he piled up runs with ease.<\/p>\n
Still, Manjrekar pointed to a turning point after the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the USA. Following that game, questions have intensified about Suryakumar\u2019s direction and his role in India\u2019s T20I setup, including whether he is fit enough to lead and whether he deserves a spot in the playing XI in the coming months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a tricky question to answer. What you\u2019re really saying is the IPL performances,\u201d Manjrekar explained. \u201cWe often assume he had a bad run in the IPL last season too, but it\u2019s more about his international form. I think the runs were evading him. He had a good IPL, but the loss of form at the international level has caught up in the IPL\u2014and even in the T20 World Cup, in the first innings against the USA. He didn\u2019t do much. It\u2019s clear to see he\u2019s not the same player.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then emphasised the importance of selectors making decisions with a clear eye on potential and possibilities. In his view, the selection panel needs to consider not only recent numbers, but also the bigger context of what Suryakumar can still deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow it\u2019s about selectors putting on their cricketers\u2019 hats. You need selectors who understand potential and possibilities,\u201d Manjrekar said. \u201cIs Surya capable of producing that magic again? That\u2019s something they have to ask themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manjrekar also addressed the difficulty of dropping a T20 World Cup-winning captain from the next T20I series. He acknowledged that the decision would be a tough one, but argued that the next assignment will likely determine whether Suryakumar\u2019s long-term future in T20 cricket remains intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen for a while that he hasn\u2019t been able to. He\u2019s not young either. But how can you not have your T20 World Cup-winning captain for the next T20 international India plays?\u201d he said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t think anyone is going to take that tough decision immediately. The next series will decide whether he has a long-term future in T20 cricket. But clearly, he\u2019s gone off the boil completely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Suryakumar Yadav is going through a phase no one would have expected from one of T20 cricket\u2019s most fluent batters. The Mumbai Indians skipper, who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Suryakumar Yadav slump, MI skipper lessons","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"MI skipper Suryakumar Yadav\u2019s IPL slump continues as he scores just 12 off 7 vs LSG\u2014what MI can learn from Kohli and Rohit\u2019s recoveries","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n