Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has broken his silence on the decision to use Suryakumar Yadav as an impact player. After the opening match of IPL 2026 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Mumbai head coach warned journalists not to create unnecessary stories around the impact option.
Mumbai chased the target of 221 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, March 29. However, there was talk about Suryakumar Yadav warming the bench during the bowling innings. Hardik Pandya used the T20 World Cup-winning captain as an impact sub during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
During the post-match press conference, Mahela Jayawardene was asked about naming Suryakumar Yadav as the impact sub. Mumbai Indians head coach confirmed that Suryakumar had complained of groin stiffness before the match, adding that the team wanted to give him extra time.
Jayawardene told reporters at the post-match press conference, “I hope you don’t create unwanted stories. The camp is very happy. Everyone is happy. Sky came, joined us. He also had a few extra days which he wanted.”
“He joined in. His back was a bit tight. He was fielding and so on. I knew I had 5 more days from this game to the next. I just wanted to give him extra time. He was also keen to play 3-4 overs at the end,” he said.
Please do not make up any stories – Mahela Jayawardene
The former Sri Lankan captain said the Mumbai Indians management refused to take the risk of aggravating Suryakumar Yadav’s back injury in the opening match.
Jayawardene said, “I said, no, it’s fine. It’s fine. It was a change. Please don’t create any story. It’s just that I have to be careful. These are very valuable players to me and they have to play the whole season. These are conscious decisions that I take and the management takes. There is nothing beyond that.”
Mumbai Indians win against Kolkata Knight Riders
Suryakumar Yadav came to the crease to bat at number three and scored 16 runs in just eight balls. Karthik Tyagi dismissed him, but his quick cameo helped maintain the scoring rate.
Mumbai Indians did not need Yadav at his peak, as Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton had already dismantled the opposition. Rohit scored 78 runs, while Rickelton played a brilliant inning of 81 runs in 43 balls. They added an opening partnership of 148 runs in just 72 balls.
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Verma hit fours before Naman Dheer hit a four on the first ball of the last over. Mumbai Indians achieved the target in 19.1 overs with five balls to spare, ending their losing streak of 13 consecutive opening games since 2012.
Earlier in the match, Kolkata Knight Riders had made a strong score of 220/4 in 20 overs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane scored 67 runs, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi added 51 runs in 29 balls. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten after scoring 33 runs on 21 balls.
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