IPL 2020: Letting Go of Suryakumar Yadav Was KKR's Biggest Loss - Gautam Gambhir

The Mumbai Indians (MI) clinched their successive Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 title after defeating Delhi Capitals at Dubai on Tuesday. Throughout the tournament, each team witnessed many high-lows, however, a constant among those highs for MI will be Suryakumar Yadav. He scored 480 runs from 16 matches, second only to Quinton de Kock’s 503.

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Former Indian batsman and East Delhi Member of Parliament (MP) Gautam Gambhir said that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a big blunder by letting go a player like Suryakumar Yadav. Gambhir, who also captained KKR and led them to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, feels that talent like Yadav is extremely hard to let go.

“Suryakumar Yadav has not been easily earned by Mumbai Indians. It’s probably the biggest loss KKR has ever had in 13 years,” he said.

Gambhir said that Yadav brings in good leadership qualities, which prompted him to make the Mumbai batsman the vice-captain during his stint with the Kolkata franchise. He went on to praise Yadav, saying that he always stepped forward to help the team at every juncture and never hesitated to bat down the order for KKR.

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Gambhir also lauded Yadav’s leadership skills on account of having led the Mumbai Ranji Trophy side in the past. He also reckoned that if Yadav stays on with the MI franchise, there’s a big probability of him leading the IPL franchise as a captain for MI in some years.

“We still haven’t seen his leadership quality. He’s got a great head on his shoulder. He knows how to lead a side. Going forward, I’m sure Surya will take charge of this side if he stays with Mumbai Indians,” Gambhir added.

Suryakumar Yadav played for KKR and spent four seasons with the franchise before signing up with MI in 2018. Yadav’s stint with KKR was not so fruitful as he could only manage 608 runs. However, since his inclusion in MI team, his fortunes and character changed drastically, he proved to be a great investment and asset for his new team.

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In his first season with MI, Yadav piled up 512 runs, followed it with 424 more in the next season. In this year’s IPL edition, he scored 480 runs which included four half-centuries.

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