IPL 2024: Suryakumar Yadav receives clearance from NCA, set to join Mumbai Indians on Friday
The versatile batter last played competitive cricket in December 2023 and has been in rehab since then for an ankle and sports hernia injuries
Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav is set to join the franchise on April 5. The star batter received the necessary clearances from the National Cricket Academy, where he was undergoing rehabilitation for an injury.
Monitored closely by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), Suryakumar Yadav was deemed fit to play after a third fitness test. He underwent two fitness tests last month, however, the doctors and the medical team did not issue a clearance as he did not meet the required parameters.
The 33-year-old batter took part in a practice match on Wednesday and fared well, which paved the way for his clearance.
Suryakumar will join the Mumbai Indians franchise on Thursday or Friday and will be available for a practice session on Friday as Mumbai Indians, stuttering after three defeats in three matches, gear up to face the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Suryakumar, who is ranked No. 1 in T20s, was last seen in action in December 2023 against South Africa. He scored a hundred in the third T20I and later suffered a grade 2 tear to his ankle, which required surgical intervention. However, his injury woes did not end there, as he soon went under the knife for a sports hernia and has been at the NCA in Bengaluru since then.
Mumbai Indians will have a couple of practice sessions ahead of their match against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, and the team management will take a call on Suryakumar’s inclusion in the playing XI depending on how he fares at the net sessions.
Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL title five times, currently sit at the bottom of the 10-team league, having lost all three matches that they have played so far. They lost to the Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in their first match, went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 31 runs in their second encounter, and narrowly lost to the Gujarat Titans by six runs in their last match.
Given the woeful form they are in, the inclusion of Suryakumar into the set-up would be a big boost for the Hardik Pandya-led side, and they would hope to turn the fortunes.
