Mumbai Indians’ star batter Suryakumar Yadav recently broke his silence on not being chosen as the captain of the franchise ahead of the 2024 IPL season. The team had replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya, who returned from Gujarat Titans to lead MI. Many believed that Suryakumar, one of the most senior and consistent players, deserved the role.
In an interview with News24 on October 14, he addressed this topic, saying, “No, no, I will absolutely not think about it. No, because even when I was doing well while playing in the IPL, I never thought that I should become an IPL captain. Then, when I became the captain of India’s T20 team, I still didn’t think that way, because it’s not written anywhere that if someone is India’s T20 captain or leading the national team, then he must also lead in the IPL.”
He further mentioned that leadership is not a right but a role given based on circumstances. Referring to domestic cricket, he added, “Now look, when I go to play state cricket, if someone is already leading there, for example, last year when I went, at that time Ajinkya Rahane was leading in four-day matches and Shreyas was leading in T20s, and whenever I was available, I played in both formats. But I never said there, hey brother, I’m the India captain, so I should captain here too.” He emphasized that he learns even while playing under others and doesn’t see any issue with that mindset.
Thoughts On Offers From Other Franchises
Suryakumar Yadav revealed that several teams had approached him about switching franchises and taking on a leadership role. Sharing his thoughts on those offers, he said, “I mean, three or four teams had asked me what my plan was. They just asked, what is your plan? That’s all. I said I don’t have any plans; I am going to play here.”
“Then their next question was that they were thinking, if you come here, can you lead? So I thought a little about it, because obviously, if someone wants to give you responsibility, then if I go there, lead, and create a legacy, that would be a different thing.” He admitted he did consider it briefly but ultimately decided against leaving Mumbai Indians.
Choosing Legacy And Loyalty Over Change
Explaining his final decision, Suryakumar shared that he thought deeply about his age and long-term plans. “Then I came home, and we thought a lot about it. Then I said, now that I am 34 years old, if I were 27 or 28, and planning to play for 8 to 10 more years, then it would make sense to move,” he explained. He admired players like Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni, who built legacies over time by leading their teams for many years.
He added, “So I thought, if I go at 34, lead for 3 or 4 years, and maybe win two trophies, that’s good. But a legacy is defined when you play for a long time.” Suryakumar concluded by highlighting his attachment to Mumbai, saying being close to home and family mattered a lot to him. So far, he has played 166 IPL matches, scoring 4,311 runs with a strike rate of 148.65, including 29 fifties and two hundreds.
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