Suryakumar Yadav Replacement In Mumbai Indians Playing 11 In IPL 2024: One Among These 2 Brothers Likely To Be Picked By MI? Check Here

The moment Suryakumar Yadav posted a broken heart emoji on Instagram, it sent shockwaves among the Mumbai Indians (MI) fans. They all started to speculate what could be the reason behind it? And soon, their worst fears came true. The MI batter received a big jolt when he failed to clear the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). For the uninitiated, Surya is recovering from an ankle injury, having underwent a surgery earlier this year.

Also Read | Hardik Pandya Could Field THIS MI Playing 11 In IPL 2024 Clash With GT

The good news is that Surya is set to undergo another fitness assessment on March 21 but if he fails that to clear that as well, it may further delay his cricket comeback. SKY, as he is popularly called, is a T20 specialist who has played a big role in MI's success over the years. MI head coach Mark Boucher had said in the pre-season press conference that they were still awaiting a response from BCCI over Surya's return. 

One thing is certain that Suryakumar is not playing the first match of MI which is an away encounter vs Gujarat Titans (GT). However, after 3 days, MI play Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and if SKY gets a green signal from NCA, he should be back for the 2nd match of the season.

Suryakumar Yadav's Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/2M7ZGBhTDN — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 19, 2024

In case Surya cannot return for the whole season, then MI's troubles will increase. In no way is BCCI going to rush Surya back into cricket as there is a T20 World Cup that starts immediately after the IPL and he is a big player for Men in Blue. If Surya is ruled completely out of IPL, then a space for an aggressive India batter, who also plays 360 degree cricket, opens in MI's squad. 

On Twitter, fans are taking one name to replace Surya, if he is unfit. That name was a part of the Indian team against England in Tests recently and performed brilliantly. He is none other than Sarfaraz Khan.

Sarfaraz, surprisingly, did not get any IPL team at the last auction. If needed, MI can rope in him to replace Surya. Sarfaraz is yet to prove his worth in IPL and this may turn out to be THAT season for him. He can play 360 degree cricket and is in good form as well. Rohit Sharma, former captain, would definitely recommend his name. 

Other contender could be Sarfaraz's brother, who has had an outstanding 2024 so far. Musheer was the second leading most run getter in the tournament after which he joined Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad and played some outstanding innings in their winning campaign, including a hundred in the final vs Vidarbha.

These two names will certainly be discussed if Surya's place is not guaranteed in the Mumbai team this season because of injury.