Suryakumar Yadav is all set to feature in Mumbai Indians' game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Raipur on Sunday. Not that his availability was ever in doubt, but with his wife recently giving birth to a baby girl, there was slight uncertainty over whether he would be able to make it to Raipur in time, barely 48 hours after the new addition to his family.
However, @I0$ can confirm that Suryakumar, India's T20I captain who led Mumbai Indians in the previous game on May 4, has conveyed his availability to the team management. He is expected to reach Raipur shortly.
Whether the T20 World Cup-winning captain will lead the side again on Sunday will depend on the recovery of regular skipper Hardik Pandya, who missed the May 4 game against Lucknow Super Giants due to back spasms.
Everything now depends on Ben Langley, the head of sports medicine at MI, and Nitin Patel, the physio. It is understood that Pandya underwent a fitness test on Friday and will be assessed again on Saturday. He, of course, did not train with the side in Raipur but is expected to train later in the evening.
Normally 16 points are needed to reach the last 4 stage but given the recent results, there is a growing perception that a team with 14 points could still scrape through to the play-offs, and admittedly Mumbai Indians could be still in with a chance. Although they are placed ninth on the points table with just three wins from 10 games, they can still reach 14 points by winning their remaining four matches.
After the Raipur game on Sunday, Mumbai Indians will travel to Dharamsala for the May 14 clash against Punjab Kings, then to Eden Gardens for the game against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 20 before signing off the league stage with a day game at the Wankhede against Rajasthan Royals on May 24.
