A statement from Mumbai Indians before their game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday evening said that the decision to remove Suryakumar from the squad had been taken in consultation with the fitness team of the BCCI.
He was forced to miss the first week of the tournament as a result, and got into Mumbai’s XI only for their third game of the season, against Knight Riders on April 6.
Despite playing only eight games, his 303 runs – at an average of 43.28 and strike rate of 145.67 – made Suryakumar the team’s second-highest run-scorer in what has been a forgettable season for the five-time IPL champions, who have struggled to lift themselves off the bottom of the points table.
Suryakumar is now in a race to be fit for the five T20Is India play at home against South Africa from June 9, with an eye on the T20 World Cup that comes later in the year.