Suryakumar Yadav posts cryptic Instagram story, raises concerns about his IPL 2024 participation

Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav recently posted a cryptic story on his official Instagram handle, raising concerns about his participation in the upcoming edition of the IPL.

Here is the screenshot of Suryakumar Yadav's cryptic Instagram story:

Screenshot of Suryakumar Yadav's cryptic Instagram story

33-year-old Suryakumar Yadav underwent sports hernia surgery in January this year and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

While it was widely expected that the number one ranked T20I batter would get a fitness clearance from the NCA and join the Mumbai Indians camp ahead of this year's IPL, his latest Instagram story has cast doubts over it.

Suryakumar was in splendid form with the willow for Mumbai last season, amassing 605 runs at a strike rate of 181.14, including five half-centuries and a century. Given his T20 cricket credentials, it will be a severe blow for the Mumbai Indians' batting line-up if their local boy gets ruled out for the entire 2024 IPL season which kicks off on Friday, March 22, with the Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians will be looking for their record sixth IPL crown

After missing out on the playoffs spot in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the IPL, Rohit Sharma's men qualified for the knockouts last year, having finished fourth in the points table. After defeating the Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in the Eliminator, the Mumbai Indians suffered a 62-run defeat against the Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier fixture.

The five-time IPL winners begin their 2024 IPL campaign against the same opponents at the same venue where they crashed out of the tournament last season. Hardik Pandya's men will be facing the Gujarat Titans at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24, hoping that their new journey under the new captain begins on a winning note.