Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav, who has steered his team to many a victory, talked about his debut in 2010, saying he “barely slept the night before”. “I barely slept the night before my debut for Mumbai Indians — went to bed around 4 or 5 in the morning. There was so much excitement. Playing for a franchise brings a different kind of buzz. I was just enjoying the moment, thinking about stepping onto the field for warm-up, and as soon as I did, I was already sweating. It felt really good,” Suryakumar Yadav told Jio Hotstar.

Suryakumar reflected on his century in IPL 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and shared how evolving T20 demands pushed him to adapt his game.

“The T20 format has changed a lot in the past few years–scoring rates, strike rates, everything. Earlier, I used to bat at a strike rate of 140-150, but post-2020, I realised that to be the best, I needed to evolve. I went back to the drawing board, worked on match simulations, and started practicing shots that would help me stay ahead of bowlers and captains. From 2021 to 2024, I focused on exploiting specific areas, finding scoring options where I could also minimize risk. Everything I do in matches now, I’ve already practiced–I try to replicate those sessions exactly. Scoring a T20 century felt really special because it came from all that effort and clarity,” he added.

Suryakumar, who has played for MI and KKR, will next be seen in action when the Rajasthan Royals will take on the Mumbai Indians in the 50th match of the IPL 2025. This match will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

MI are third in the points table with six wins and four losses in ten matches. They have won their previous five matches and will be confident coming into this game. They beat LSG by 54 runs in the previous match.

On the other hand, RR have three wins and seven losses in ten matches and are placed eighth in the points table. They won the previous match against the Gujarat Titans on the back of an excellent century from 14-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)