Suryakumar Yadav

'I always wanted to be a bit different,' Suryakumar says of his thirst for innovation in batting. Be it his signature pick-up flick over fine-leg or his stupendous ability to carve yorkers over the ropes, Suryakumar Yadav, or SKY as he’s better known, defies convention, makes jaws drop and outrages bowlers nearly every time he walks out. Despite being a relatively late entrant into India’s T20 setup, Suryakumar Yadav quickly established himself as one of the vital cogs once he got his opportunity.

Training under the guidance of his paternal uncle and then at the Elf Vengsarkar Academy, Suryakumar Yadav worked his way through the Mumbai cricketing circuit and made his first-class debut against Delhi during the 2010-11 Ranji season. He had a great start to his career as he top-scored for Mumbai with a well compiled 73 and was the only player to score a fifty in Mumbai's first innings. He had a breakthrough Ranji Trophy season in 2011-12 where he was the top-scorer for Mumbai with 754 runs in 9 games and later in the year, he was the recipient of the MA Chidambaram Trophy awarded to the Best Under-22 cricketer.

Impressed by his talent, he received an IPL contract from Mumbai Indians in 2011, for whom he played a few IPL matches until 2013, before getting picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders. It was for the Kolkata-based franchise that his ability to improvise gained some popularity. The knack of playing useful cameos lower down the order came in handy, and he featured in every single game of the Knight Riders' title-winning campaign in 2014. But after a few seasons there, where although he made useful contributions, the opportunities to really make an impression were few and far between, he was re-signed by MI again - a move that proved to be a revelation.