Suryakumar Yadav has long been regarded as one of India’s most explosive and innovative T20 batters, capable of changing games in a matter of overs. However, his lack of runs and poor form this year have raised serious concerns as the countdown to the 2026 T20 World Cup gathers pace.
Known for his hard-hitting 360-degree batting style, Suryakumar has struggled to score runs in 2025. In 21 T20Is, India’s T20 skipper has scored just 218 runs, with 47 being his highest, and his form has become an enormous concern for the defending champion going into the T20 World Cup, which is set to kick off on February 7.
Suryakumar Yadav: peak IPL season but no performance for Team India
Suryakumar Yadav, also known as SKY, had a career-best IPL season this year, playing for the Mumbai Indians—the right-handed batsman smashed 717 runs at a strike rate of 167.91, including five half-centuries in 16 matches. He ended the season as the second-highest run-getter after the Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan. His second-best IPL season came in 2023, when SKY scored 605 runs.
However, his form for India has been horrendous. This year, he didn’t have any fifty. The dip in form is not new. His lean patch of runs started as early as 2024, although the strike rate remained high enough to cover the problem. For a batter who plays attacking shots, that was acceptable. He was still striking the ball well, leaving his impact behind. But this year has been a different story. The runs have dipped sharply, and the pattern of getting dismissed is quite similar.
What can Suryakumar do before 2026 T20 World Cup?
To get back in form, SKY will have to play domestic cricket whenever he gets a chance before national duty. Confidence gained from match-winning knocks at the domestic level often translates into international form. The second thing he can do is cut down on low-percentage shots early in the innings, and trusting orthodox options for the first 10–12 balls can help him settle before accelerating.
The 35-year-old Mumbaiker has also confirmed that he will play two Vijay Hazare Trophy games on January 6 and 8 for Mumbai. He has less than a month’s break before they arrive in Nagpur to play New Zealand in the first of five T20I matches on January 21. The series will be his last series to regain form before the T20 World Cup against the USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.
