- By Sports desk
- Sun, 03 May 2026 02:31 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is going through a lean patch of his career where things are just not falling into place. However, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has shown full support for the senior batter and believes he will bounce back.
Suryakumar Yadav's runs in IPL 2026
Suryakumar, who scored more than 700 runs in the Indian Premier League 2025 season and also played a key role in India’s ICC Men's T20 World Cup win, has not been able to repeat that form this year. In nine innings so far, he has scored 183 runs, with just one half-century that came in Delhi. Most of his scores have been around the 20-run mark, and bowlers targeting his body with hard-length deliveries have troubled him.
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Mahela Jayawardene on Suryakumar Yadav's form
Jayawardene said that once Surya strings together a few good innings, his rhythm will come back.
"If he (Surya) gets a few scores together, I think he will find that rhythm. I think sometimes when things are not going your way, it doesn't fall in place," Jayawardene was empathetic while judging Surya's poor show so far.
Jayawardene on SKY's dismissal vs CSK
He also spoke about Surya’s recent dismissal, saying it was more about bad luck than poor shot selection.
"I think it was a pretty good shot (his dismissal off Ramakrishna Ghosh) that went straight to the fielder. I mean it's one of those things I mean I played enough cricket to understand," the former Sri Lankan skipper said.
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Jayawardene on SKY's Mental Space
According to Jayawardene, Suryakumar is mentally in a good place, but many of his well-timed shots have ended up in the hands of fielders near the boundary.
"He's definitely up for it, he's in a good space. It's just that it hasn't worked like the amount of times he's got caught on the the boundary this season. Even in the last game or the one before that the flick where he got caught so it's just a matter of time.
"I think he himself is disappointed but just have to keep on working harder," the coach said.
MI's Campaign in IPL 2026
MI are currently ninth in the IPL 2026 points table with just two wins and seven losses in their nine outings of the tournament. The five-time champions are currently on the verge of losing their spot from the playoffs race of the marquee event.