Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has questioned Suryakumar Yadav’s performances after Mumbai Indians suffered a igniminous loss of 103 runs against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
SKY scored 36 runs off 30 balls with the help of five fours against CSK in the run-chase of 208. The veteran batter hasn’t been at his best in the ongoing IPL 2026 as he has failed to deliver the goods.
Yadav has scored 157 runs in seven matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 22.43 and a strike rate of 142.72. Chopra noted that SKY has only hit four sixes so far in seven games of the tournament.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya haven’t scored runs at all. Suryakumar Yadav has played seven knocks. He has scored only 157 runs. He has scored one fifty, has an average of 22, has a strike rate of 140, and he has hit only four sixes. He has gotten out thrice while sweeping the spinners.”
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has also failed to lead from the front, scoring 97 runs in six matches at an average of 19.40 and a strike rate of 140.57.
“Captain Hardik Pandya has scored 97 runs in six matches. He has a strike rate of 141, and his top score is 40. He has picked up only three wickets and has an economy of nearly 13. This cannot be Hardik Pandya’s performance. If neither of them scores runs, forget about Tilak Varma, Quinton de Kock, or Naman Dhir scoring runs. The team will not function with three people,” he observed.
The renowned commentator questioned Hardik Pandya for not bowling himself in the last over and instead backing greenhorn pacer Krish Bhagat.
“Hardik Pandya, why did you not bowl the last over? I understand that you were hit for 19 runs in your first over and 19 runs in your second over as well, and had conceded 38 runs in two overs, but Krish Bhagat had also conceded 15 runs in the one over you bowled him,” he said.
Bhagat conceded 16 runs in the final over as CSK were able to post 207 runs on the board.
“It was just his second match. You made him bowl the 20th over. He conceded 16 runs, but the point is not that. The point is that it was the wrong choice. The captain will have to shoulder a little responsibility, which was disappointing,” Chopra observed.
Bhagat conceded 0-31 in his two overs, whereas Pandya gave away 38 runs in his two overs. Mumbai Indians will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Wednesday.
