Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing today’s IPL 2022 match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals?

Why Suryakumar Yadav not playing today: Mumbai Indians haven’t made any change to their Playing XI for this match.

During the ninth match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and chose to bowl like most other captains this season.

“We are going to bowl first. No particular reason. It is a good pitch, we are seeing a trend in the tournament, you have a score in front of you and you know what to do as a batting group. Dew is not going to be a factor,” Sharma told Star Sports at the toss.

Not surprisingly, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson also wanted to field first at the Dr DY Patil Cricket Academy today. However, Samson remained unaffected by the prospect of batting first in an afternoon match.

“We have to be happy with that [batting first]. We would also have bowled on this wicket, being an afternoon game and a different venue, but happy to bat. Chatter in the camp is to be a bit smarter. We are playing different teams in different conditions, different venues, so it is all about understanding the demands and applying your game plan accordingly,” Samson told Star Sports at the toss.

Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing vs Rajasthan Royals today?

Talking about the Playing XI, Mumbai haven’t made any change to their combination despite losing their tournament opener against Delhi Capitals. The development means that MI will be taking the field without one of their four retained players in batter Suryakumar Yadav.

While Sharma wasn’t asked about Yadav’s injury status, it is noteworthy that the 31-year old player is undergoing a rehabilitation process after suffering a hairline fracture to his thumb earlier this year. In the absence of any official information, Yadav’s comeback date remains a mystery for now.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan have made a solitary change to their Playing XI by bringing in fast bowler Navdeep Saini for Nathan Coulter-Nile. Set to play with three overseas players on Saturday, Saini will be making his debut for RR in this match.