Ricky Ponting has said that Suryakumar Yadav INR 70 Lacs move to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2014 changed his fortunes.
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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has called Suryakumar Yadav’s move to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2014 the turning point of his career. Surya was first bought by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2012 for a price of INR 10 Lacs. He played just one game for them in IPL 2012, and he could not play a single game in IPL 2013.
Ponting said that Surya was just a teenager when he was at the Mumbai Indians, and his trade to Kolkata Knight Riders turned his fortunes. It is interesting that Kolkata Knight Riders bought Suryakumar for just INR 70 Lacs in IPL 2014 auction.
“When I was in Mumbai, he was an 18-19-year-old kid, a young man. He was in our squad not quite getting a game. The year after I left, he was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where his career started to turn around,” Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying in the ICC Review.
INR 70 lakh Suryakumar Yadav turned around career at KKR
Surya got regular opportunities in the middle-order while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. He used to get lesser balls at the lower order, but the impact he created at that position was brilliant. Surya played 54 IPL games for KKR, where he scored 608 runs at a strike-rate of 131.89, with the help of one half-century.
After winning the IPL in 2014, Surya was made Gautam Gambhir’s deputy for the next three seasons. He shared a brilliant bond with Gambhir, and he recently revealed that Gautam was the one who reminded him of his nickname SKY.
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Mumbai Indians again bought Suryakumar Yadav for INR 3.2 crores in the IPL 2018 auction, and he has been their star since then. Yadav has scored 2036 IPL runs at 33.38 for Mumbai Indians with the help of 15 half-centuries. Ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, Mumbai Indians retained him as one of their 4 retained players.
It is safe to say that Suryakumar has been the backbone of the Indian T20I team and has been their most consistent batter. He has scored 682 T20I runs this year at 37.89 with the help of 4 half-centuries and one century. Surya has an astonishing strike-rate of 182.84 as well. He will play a big part in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
