3 reasons why retaining Suryakumar Yadav over Ishan Kishan ahead of IPL Auction 2022 is the right move

Mumbai Indians (MI) selected Suryakumar Yadav as one of their four retained players ahead of IPL Auction 2022. The five-time champions listed him third on the list. Yadav is below captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah but he is above all-rounder Kieron Pollard.

The Mumbai-based franchise will pay Suryakumar Yadav a salary of ₹8 crore for his services in the upcoming seasons. Before MI published their list of retained players, speculation was rife that wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan would not be released.

However, the Mumbai Indians have retained Suryakumar Yadav over Kishan. Although Kishan is younger than Yadav and can be a long-term asset, here are three reasons why retaining Suryakumar was the right move.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav has been more consistent for Mumbai Indians

Suryakumar Yadav has scored 300 or more runs in every IPL season since 2018

Both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan joined the Mumbai Indians at the IPL Mega Auction 2018. Both Indian batters played four seasons for MI from 2018 to 2021. Yadav aggregated 300+ runs in every season, while Kishan could only do it once.

While Ishan scored more runs than Suryakumar in 2020, his aggregate was less in the other three seasons. Notably, the Mumbai Indians even dropped Ishan from their playing XI during the 2021 season, while Yadav has played in all matches for MI since 2018.

Looking at the numbers of the two players for Mumbai Indians since 2018, it is not surprising to see Suryakumar Yadav being retained over Ishan Kishan.

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#2 Suryakumar Yadav is a local lad, captaincy option and a finisher

IPL franchises often tend to sign the local players from their base region because it helps for marketing purposes. Suryakumar Yadav hails from Mumbai and has grown up playing cricket in the city.

Another important reason why Suryakumar Yadav should have been retained is that he has captained Mumbai's domestic team. He has captaincy experience and can contribute to the leadership group.

One more thing that gives Yadav an edge over Ishan Kishan is the fact that he can finish the matches for the team. He has done it more times for MI than Kishan and has also performed well in that role for India.

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav belongs to a rare group of players

Suryakumar Yadav is an Indian middle-order batter. There are 10 franchises in the IPL this year, and had MI released Yadav, it would have been difficult for them to buy him back for ₹8 crore at IPL Auction 2022.

Teams do not have enough good options in the middle-order batters' category. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan plays the best when he opens the innings. There are a lot of opening options available in the auction pool.

Mumbai Indians benched the likes of Quinton de Kock and Chris Lynn in a few matches last year, showing there is no dearth of openers. Thus, retaining Suryakumar Yadav over Ishan Kishan was the right decision by the five-time IPL winners.