Suryakumar Yadav, the Mumbai Indians batter who had to withdraw from IPL 2022 on Monday because of an injury, has told his fans that with their support and blessings, he "will be back in no time". Yadav was ruled out of the rest of IPL 2022 due to a left forearm muscle injury. The news came as a blow for Mumbai Indians, who were looking to finish the tournament on a high after being officially eliminated from the race to playoffs. According to the advisory issued by the tournament, Yadav sustained the injury during Mumbai's thrilling five-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Brabourne Stadium on May 6. Yadav was one of the four retained players by the five-time IPL champions ahead of the 2022 IPL Mega Auction.
But Yadav on Monday was upbeat about his return and thanked his fans for their good wishes and support. "With all your wishes and support, I will be back in no time," Suryakumar Yadav said in a tweet on Monday. "To my Mumbai Indians family, I will be cheering for you from the other side, this time. Let's finish the tournament on a high note and display our true character on the field," he wrote in the tweet. His support from outside the bio-bubble did not help much as Mumbai Indians were beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders by 52 runs.
Yadav had missed Mumbai's first two matches against Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals due to his recovery from a hairline fracture he sustained while fielding in India's home T20I series against West Indies at Kolkata in February this year. Yadav, popular as SKY among his fans, had then gone to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehabilitation and recovery from the hairline fracture for over three weeks and then joined the Mumbai side in IPL 2022. Yadav, 31, was one of the few bright spots for Mumbai in a forgettable campaign, being their second-highest run-getter by scoring 303 runs in eight matches at an average of 43.29 and strike-rate of 145.67, including three half-centuries. One of the three fifties from Yadav's bat was a 39-ball 51 which led to Mumbai registering their first win of the current season in a return fixture over Rajasthan Royals at DY Patil Stadium.