Mumbai Indians' star Suryakumar Yadav's batting struggles continued in IPL 2026 with another low score against the Gujarat Titans. This pattern of inconsistent performances has become a major bottleneck for MI's campaign, leading to growing fan criticism calling for him to be dropped.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) star batter Suryakumar Yadav has failed to deliver again in the IPL 2026 match against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, April 20.
After being put to bat first by the GT skipper Shubman Gill, MI lost two early wickets of openers in Danish Malewar (2) and Quinton de Kock (13), and were reduced to 25/2 in 3.3 overs. Suryakumar Yadav joined Naman Dir at the crease to carry on the five-time IPL champions’ run chase, as they looked to steady the innings
The pair was hoping to form a good partnership before GT pacer Kagiso Rabada rattled with an inswinging delivery to clean bowl Suryakumar for just 15 runs, leaving the Mumbai Indians reeling at 44/3 and further amplifying concerns over his recent run of low scores.
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Suryakumar’s Batting Inconsistency in the Spotlight
Suryakumar Yadav’s batting struggle has been one of the key talking points amid the Mumbai Indians’ poor campaign in the ongoing IPL season. The star batter, who has been a mainstay of MI’s batting line-up and the team’s highest run-getter with 774 runs in the last IPL season.has struggled to replicate that prolific form this year,
Suryakumar had a poor start to the season with a 16-run dismissal in MI’s opening against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai before scoring 51 off 36 balls against the Delhi Capitals in New Delhi. In the match against the Rajasthan Royals, the 35-year-old was dismissed for just 6 runs in Guwahati, marking his first single-digit score of the season.
However, the veteran batter again showed glimpses of his return to form, scoring 33 off 22 balls against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mumbai. In the next game against the Punjab Kings, Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a golden duck, registering his first duck of the campaign. And now, the star batter’s latest 15-run cameo against the Gujarat Titans has further intensified the scrutiny.
The pattern of one-off performances followed by a string of failures continues to haunt both the player and the franchise, as his struggles with the bat have become a major bottleneck for the Mumbai Indians, often leaving the middle-order exposed and the team struggling to find momentum at a crucial juncture in the IPL 2026 season.
‘Suryakumar Has No Chapter Left to Add to his Storybook’
Suryakumar Yadav’s inconsistent performance with the bat in the ongoing IPL season has prompted sharp criticism from fans and cricket enthusiasts on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter), with many pointing out that the veteran batter is a shadow of his former self.
Taking to their X handles, fans and cricket enthusiasts expressed their deep frustration, with many suggesting that the "360-degree" batter is well past his prime. Some pointed out that the decline in form since the 2024 T20 World Cup, labelling him ‘finished’and calling for him to be dropped from the playing XI.
Others questioned his leadership and place in the national T20I setup, noting that with players like Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar performing consistently, it may be time for the team management to look toward a new T20I captain and reliable middle-order alternatives
Suryakumar’s T20I struggles began in 2025, when he scored 218 runs at an average of 13.62 and a strike rate of 123.16 in 22 matches for Team India. In the T20 World Cup this year, Suryakumar Yadav aggregated 242 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 136.72 in nine matches.
In the ongoing IPL season, Suryakumar has struggled for consistency, with repeated low scores and only occasional impactful knocks.
