Surya not fit for opener! MI Playing 11 vs GT in IPL 2024 match on March 24

Suryakumar Yadav posted a heartbreak emoji on his Instagram handle on Tuesday, March 19 expressing that he was not handed the No Objections Certificate (NOC) on his fitness by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ahead of the Indian Premier League.

The 360-degree batter will undergo another fitness test on Thursday, March 21 to try and get fit and join the Mumbai Indians side ahead of their March 24 clash against Gujarat Titans. 

However, Surya not being cleared by NCA in the first go means that the batter will miss the Mumbai Indians' opening match. 

Surya had injured his foot while on a tour of South Africa in December 2023 and also underwent an operation for a hernia after that. The world number 1 T20I batter is undergoing rehabilitation at NCA in Bengaluru. 

Check latest news on Indian Premier League 2024 here

Mumbai Indians playing 11 for the match against GT

The absence of Surya for their IPL 2024 might come as a major headache for the newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya. It won't be easy to find a replacement for pure Indian batter for Mumbai given they the sparse resources.

In the absence of Surya, an Indian batter would have to be played at the number three position.  In that case, Tilak Varma might be upgraded in the batting order. Nehal Wadhera or Naman Dhir might also get a go if the MI team doesn't want to disturb the combination of Tim David and Mohammad Nabi in the late middle order. 

If they do make a brave move, they might drop either among David and Nabi and play Dewald Brevis who could bat at three in place of Surya. 

Meanwhile, there are injury concerns over Gerald Coetzee ahead of the MI's match vs Gujarat Titans. Though Coetzee has not played any competitive cricket since Boxing Day Test last year against India. He was not available for SA20 league as well.

Check Indian Premier League 2024 full schedule here

Mumbai Indians playing 11

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Ishan Kishan
3. Tilak Varma
4. Hardik Pandya
5. Tim David
6. Dewald Brevis/ Mohammad Nabi
7. Nehal Wadhera
8. Piyush Chawla
9. Nuwan Thushara
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Luke Wood

Impact Player: Akash Madhwal/ Arjun Tendulkar