Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has revealed that Suryakumar Yadav had a tight groin and thus they used him as an Impact Player in their opening IPL 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.

SKY scored 16 runs off eight balls in the run-chase of 221 after he came in place of Jasprit Bumrah. The former Sri Lankan captain said he hopes that the media doesn’t create unwanted stories regarding SKY’s usage.

Jayawardene said SKY was keen to take the field in the last three-four overs but they didn’t want to take that risk.

Mahela said in the post-match press conference, “I hope we don’t create unwanted stories. The camp is very happy. Everyone’s happy. He had a little tight groin and he was doing fielding and all that. But, I knew I had five days from this game to the other game. I just want to give him that extra bit of time. He was even keen at the end to go for 3-4 overs, but I said, it’s fine. These are calculated decisions. There is nothing beyond that.”

The MI head coach praised Rohit Sharma, who scored a brilliant knock of 78 runs off just 38 balls against KKR. The MI veteran smashed six fours and as many sixes.

He added, “From first day of the camp, he was very focused, he was fresh. After so many years, I have had him from Day 1. He played some really good practice matches. We have a lot of match simulations to get him going. I was quite happy the way he was hitting the ball and I thought he batted brilliantly.”

Jayawardene also lauded Ryan Rickelton, who scored 81 runs off 43 balls. The former SL batter said they bought Quinton de Kock as a backup opener in the auction.

He concluded, “Last season, Ro and Ryan had, I think, 10-11 50-plus partnerships. They were solid. We brought Quinny in as it was a great option for us to have as a backup. One of the plans was to have depth in the squad. Quinny was happy. He understands how Mumbai plays.”

Mumbai Indians will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Saturday.