SKY as impact sub just precautionary: MI coach Jayawardene

MUMBAI: Quite a few fans were surprised to see India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav playing as an impact substitute in the Mumbai Indians’ IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday, but MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene put a lid on speculation, saying it was merely a precautionary measure due to a niggle the ace batter is nursing after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup.

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Jayawardene insisted there were no “unwanted stories” here. SKY did not field for MI in their first match of the season, though he scored an 8-ball 16 as the hosts hammered KKR by six wickets, recording their highest successful run chase in IPL history. “I hope we don’t create unwanted stories. The camp is happy. He wanted an extra couple of days off. He had a little tight groin and was doing fielding and all that, but I knew we had another five days from this game to the next. I just wanted to give him that extra bit of time.




“He was even keen at the end to go and field for three-four overs, but I said it’s fine,” Jayawardene told reporters when quizzed on whether Suryakumar was being used as an impact substitute in the same manner as MI skipper Rohit Sharma last season, with no role in fielding. “So please don’t create any stories. I have to take precautions.

“These are very valuable players, and I need them going throughout the season. These are calculated decisions that the management makes, and there is nothing beyond that,” Jayawardene said. Jayawardene was pleased that Mumbai Indians finally ended their winless run in IPL opening matches, which had stretched from 2013 to 2025.

While he praised the batters, the former Sri Lanka captain was not entirely satisfied with the bowling. “Yeah, it is brilliant. It was a good batting wicket. When they got to 220, I thought we were a bit poor on execution. We probably gave 20 runs extra. But the way Ro (Rohit) and Ryan batted was exquisite to watch. “It was also tactical, because if we use Allah (AM Ghazanfar) and Hardik up front, we can’t have too many new-ball bowlers. I needed options in the middle and at the back end, and that was the thinking when we traded Shardul. It’s about thinking differently with our bowling combinations to suit different opposition and how we want to go about it,” he said.
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