Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: Mumbai Indians stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav is set to miss the side’s match against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Thursday due to personal reasons. It’s learned that the right-hander has decided against travelling and has already communicated his decision to the team management ahead of their next fixture.The five-time IPL champions will now miss not only their regular captain Hardik Pandya but also the stand-in captain Suryakumar. It will be interesting to see who walks out for the toss at the picturesque venue later today. Is a captaincy debut on the cards for Tilak Varma, whom the franchise rates very highly? Or will they go to the experienced players like Rohit Sharma, the former captain, or Jasprit Bumrah? Tilak seems the more logical choice, but his priority right now would be to get his act right with the bat as he has been unable to make most of the chances this season. Apart from one hundred and one half-century, his returns have been far from ideal. He would hope to end the season on a high with impactful contributions in the last three games.After the game against Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians are scheduled to play two more games. All eyes will now be on the availability of the captain and stand-in captain for the remaining two games. Suryakumar has been woefully out of form and should ideally use these remaining games to regain his confidence. As far as Hardik is concerned, the official word remains that he is recovering from the back injury but the all-rounder continues to train away from the pack in Mumbai.
