‘Just a phase’: Jayawardene opens up on Suryakumar Yadav’s form and Jasprit Bumrah’s burden

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has backed senior batter Suryakumar Yadav, saying the star is going through a difficult phase but needs to keep working hard to bounce back.

Suryakumar, who was in top form last season with over 700 runs and also played a key role in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph, has struggled to find rhythm in IPL 2026.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

So far, he has scored 183 runs in nine innings, with just one fifty, while most of his scores have been around the 20-run mark.

Also Read: ‘Not the season’: Hardik Pandya admits MI’s campaign falling apart after heavy CSK defeat

Surya struggling for rhythm this season

Jayawardene admitted that things haven’t gone Suryakumar’s way, even when he has played good shots.

“If he (Surya) gets a few scores together, I think he will find that rhythm. I think sometimes when things are not going your way, it doesn’t fall in place,” Jayawardene said.

“I think it was a pretty good shot (his dismissal off Ramakrishna Ghosh) that went straight to the fielder. I mean it’s one of those things I mean I played enough cricket to understand,” he added.

‘Just a matter of time’ before Surya bounces back

The MI coach believes Suryakumar is mentally in a good place and it’s only a matter of time before things start clicking again.

“He’s definitely up for it, he’s in a good space. It’s just that it hasn’t worked like the amount of times he’s got caught on the the boundary this season. Even in the last game or the one before that the flick where he got caught so it’s just a matter of time.

“I think he himself is disappointed but just have to keep on working harder,” Jayawardene said.

Jasprit Bumrah needs more support from other bowlers

Jayawardene also spoke about Jasprit Bumrah, saying the star pacer is not getting enough support from the other end.

He pointed out that Bumrah is currently doing both jobs – controlling runs and taking wickets – which makes things tougher.

“I mean when everyone’s working together you are picking up wickets here and there that helps Bumrah to be a bit more aggressive as well rather than doing a holding job.”

Bumrah’s class remains unquestioned

Despite the lack of support, Jayawardene made it clear that Bumrah’s quality is beyond doubt.

“Like I said. Everyone tend to have a slow season but the class is always going to be permanent. I mean he (Bumrah) bowled brilliantly today but it was unfortunate he could have probably taken a few more wickets. He did go all out.”

‘Just a phase’ for both players

The former Sri Lanka captain concluded by saying that ups and downs are part of every cricketer’s journey, and both players will come through stronger.

“Every cricketer at different stages will keep on pushing themselves that’s what great cricketers do and it’s just a phase for him he had a long season work-up and and this back-to-back matches as well so we have to take all that into account,” he concluded.

SRH vs KKR IPL 2026 Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad eye sixth straight win as Kolkata Knight Riders aim to keep comeback alive