T20 Mumbai League: ‘We know how to win it,’ Triumph Knights Mumbai skipper Surya

After finishing just short of the IPL-18 final with five-time champions Mumbai Indians, India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has set a new goal for himself — to lead his city team, Triumph Knights Mumbai North East, to the T20 Mumbai League (TML) title for a second time. The third edition of the eight-team TML starts at the Wankhede Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium today.

“We always play a tournament to win it. As we know, we won the first season [in 2018] and a lot of boys from that season are still part of this team, so, we know what to do to win championships. All our players are playing 360-degree cricket. Just watch them playing for 10 minutes and you will know,” Suryakumar said during the unveiling the Triumph Knights jersey at a hotel in Worli on Tuesday.

Surya to face Iyer again

On Sunday, Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 87 not out was the reason MI lost the Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad and were eliminated the Indian Premier League. Interestingly, Suryakumar’s team will face the Iyer-led SoBo Mumbai Falcons at the Wankhede on June 6. “Is he [Iyer] SoBo [Falcons] captain? I actually don’t know,” Suryakumar said jokingly, going on to praise Iyer though.  “I think it will be a good game because the way he’s leading [Punjab Kings] in the IPL, and the way he plays for Mumbai, he had played the same way when we had the first season of the tournament [TML] in 2018. His excitement and the way he plays and spends time with other players is great,” Suryakumar told mid-day.

Stars in the making

“The T20 Mumbai League holds a special place for me and I think it’s a tremendous opportunity provided by MCA for the city’s youngsters. Since making my debut in the inaugural 2018 edition, I’ve seen the impact this league has had across teams and tournament — be it India ‘A’, Ranji Trophy, IPL or the other leagues. I’m sure Season Three will see some high-octane action and the discovery of some new 
talent,” added Suryakumar.

This article first appeared on Mid Day