Mumbai Indian captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday hinted that he is likely to open with Ishan Kishan in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 opener against Delhi Capitals, while also revealing that Suryakumar Yadav is still at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. (Mumbai Indians Squad | Mumbai Indians Schedule)
Suryakumar, 31, has emerged as one of the hottest batting talents in recent times and has played crucial roles for Mumbai Indians in the previous editions of IPL.
The right-handed batter picked up a hairline fracture on his thumb on February 22 in the final match of the T20 series against West Indies. And he is recuperating at the NCA.
"I’m looking forward to open with Ishan Kishan. Surya is at NCA. We are waiting for him to join us, once we get the clearance from NCA,” Rohit said during a virtual media conference today.
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that the Rohit-Kishan pair "is a good combination up top."
Ishan Kishan, 23, was the biggest by at the IPL 2022 mega auction with Mumbai Indians doling out an INR 15.25 crore to retain the wicketkeeper batter's services.
With limited options for top-order batters, Mumbai Indians, are likely to field Hyderabad batter Tilak Varma at No. 3 with either Ramandeep Singh or Anmolpreet Singh coming is as Suryakumar's replacement.
Hailing Tilak's talent, Jayawardene said that the youngster "is a massive talent, he has a lot of potential. It is about learning for him and we will try to nurture all the young guys in the team."
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians take on Delhi Capitals on March 27 at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
