Suryakumar Yadav: Presenting his unique records in IPL
Suryakumar Yadav starred for Mumbai Indians in Match 55 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Sunrisers Hyderabad The dashing batter smashed an unbeaten 102(51) as the five-time champions chased down 174 with ease. SKY has been one of the most prolific batters in IPL in recent years. His records are also sensational. Let's decode his unique feats in IPL.
Third batter to get this feat
This was SKY's second IPL ton as his maiden one came against Gujarat Titans in 2023. SKY smashed an unbeaten 103 off 49 balls in that duel. Suryakumar has now become the third batter with multiple IPL centuries as a non-opener. He joined Ab de Villiers and Sanju Samson, who own three tons apiece in this regard.
What differentiates SKY from Samson and ABD?
It must be noted all of Samson and ABD's aforementioned centuries came while batting at number three. However, SKY batted at number four in the recent game against SRH. His ton against GT came while batting at three.
Second-most runs for MI in a season
Suryakumar showed many colors in IPL 2023. He started poorly but gained momentum as the tournament progressed. SKY finished on a high as MI bowed out following a defeat to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2. He amassed 605 runs at 46.54 (50s: 5, 100: 1). Notably, Sachin Tendulkar (618 in 2010) is the only other MI batter with 600-plus runs in a season.
Second-best strike rate in a season
SKY's strike rate of 181.13 in IPL 2023 is the second-highest among batters with at least 600 runs in a season. He is only behind Chris Gayle, who accomplished 608 runs in IPL 2011 at a stunning strike rate of 183.13. The likes of Rishabh Pant (173.60 in 2018) and KL Rahul (158.41 in 2018) trail Suryakumar among Indians.
SKY is among the three batters with this feat
In 2023, SKY became just the third batter to score 600 or more runs in an IPL season while batting at three or lower. He joined the likes of de Villiers (687 in 2016) and Pant (684 in 2018). Notably, the Mumbai Indians batter averaged 43.21 last season as he smoked 28 sixes.