IPL 2023: Suryakumar Yadav plays with the psychology of the bowler, says Suresh Raina

Suryakumar smashed his maiden IPL hundred as Mumbai Indians defeated the Gujarat Titans by 27 runs in IPL 2023 on Friday (May 12) evening at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

It was a SKY show as Suryakumar put on a dazzling display with the bat, scoring 103 runs from 49 balls to take Mumbai to a total score of 218 runs. In response, GT could reach only 191 despite late burst from Rashid Khan, who scored 79 from 32 balls.

The MI batter Suryakumar’s knock included 11 fours and 6 sixes. And JioCinema TATA IPL expert Raina was heavily impressed with Yadav’s measure approach to batting on the night.

“He plays with the psychology of the bowler. The way he smacked the ball around the ground. Today, he was batting with calmness once again,” Raina said.

“His approach was good, his intent was good, and look at the results. He hit the ball all around the ground for 103 runs in 49 balls, and he finished it off with his signature celebration.”

Yadav stole all the limelight with his sensational innings that led to his maiden century in the TATA IPL. His impact propelled the Mumbai Indians to their fourth win in five matches, leading to another JioCinema TATA IPL expert Zaheer Khan showering him with plaudits.

“The Surya which we know is back and getting better and better, especially at a crucial time. This time is going to be the most important for any team in the tournament because you’re getting to the business end of the tournament, it’s about going to the playoffs and putting your best foot forward,” Zaheer said.

“When you have Surya on song like this, anything can happen. Teams will be looking at the MI line-up carefully because he holds the key MI and their season.”

This win gives Mumbai third place in the standings, bringing them closer to completing their season turnaround and clinching a playoff spot, while Gujarat holds a one-point lead over Chennai at the top of the table.

The Titans had very little chance of a win after the the top-order collapse, but Rashid’s late barrage of sixes gave some last-minute entertainment to fans. Zaheer praised the standout bowler for delivering with the bat.

“This was an outstanding knock by Rashid Khan. The game was almost well and truly done before he came to bat but he had other plans. This could have been a big win but Rashid Khan was in the way,” Zaheer added.

“To me, this is one of the best innings a lower middle-order batter has played in an IPL inning in a very long time. The kind of six-hitting we’ve seen was phenomenal.”