Suryakumar Yadav shows he's not done yet, slams unbeaten 36-ball 72 after T20I snub and loss to Shreyas Iyer's team

The 35-year-old Suryakumar Yadav on June 8 showcased his range of strokes that once helped him kick the door down and make his T20I debut. The two-time T20 World Cup winner and captain of the previous title win, Suryakumar scored a 36-ball 72 in Triumphs Knights' MNE's run chase against MSC Maratha Royals in T20 Mumbai 2026 clash. The knock comes after he was sacked as captain and dropped as well ahead of UK tour (Ireland and England). In the previous match, India’s new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer’s SoBo Mumbai Falcons had beaten him despite his 24-ball 48. On June 8, he remained unbeaten in the run chase, taking Triumphs Knights MNE to their first win of the season, keeping them alive in the semifinal race.

DSouza takes fifer

Against Siddhesh Lad-led MSC Maratha Royals, Suryakumar won the toss and opted to bowl first. Lad departed after a 16-ball 24 cameo. Sylvester DSouza wreaked havoc with five wickets for 21 runs. Chinmay Rajesh Sutar was retired out for 26-ball 36. Maxwell Swaminathan contributed with a 29-ball 36 as Royals suffered collapse and were bowled out for 152 in 19.5 overs.

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Suryakumar shines in run chase

In the run chase, Suryakumar walked out to bat in the fifth over openers Akhil Herwadkar and Vedant Murkar were dismissed cheaply. Suryakumar got off the mark with a boundary first ball. In the next over, he hit Shreyas Gurav for three consecutive fours. Suryakumar and an in-form Nutan Kumar Goel got their team to the 100-run mark in the 12th over. In the next over, Suryakumar reached his half-century from 29 deliveries. Then, Goel got to his fifty from 36 balls.

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The partnership was broken in the 15th over. Atharva Bhosale got the consolation wicket of Goel who scored 56 runs from 42 balls. In the next over, Jayesh Pokhare fell too but it did not affect the outcome of the game. Suryakumar finished the run chase with a boundary as Knights MNE registered a six-wicket victory with four overs to spare. The win also helped improve their net run rate (NRR) which is third-worst in the tournament.

Suryakumar’s heartfelt gesture towards teammate

Suryakumar was adjudged ‘Player of the match’ but he shared it with DSouza who claimed five wickets. In the ongoing season, Suryakumar is sixth on the list of leading run-scorers. He has 143 runs from four innings at an average of 47.67 and strike rate of 185.71.

Knights MNE's last league stage match of the season is against Eagle Thane Strikers on June 9. It is a must-win game for them. Even if they win, they won't be guaranteed a spot in the last four.