"Even if there are 22 fielders, he will still find gaps" - Danish Kaneria on Suryakumar Yadav's dynamic strokeplay

Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav starred with the bat during his side's IPL 2023 tie against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday, May 3.

Suryakumar scored 66 runs from just 31 balls, helping MI chase down a mammoth 215-run target with seven balls and six wickets to spare.

Former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria reserved high praise for Suryakumar following his swashbuckling knock. He noted that the batter's ability to find gaps with ease sets him apart from others.

Speaking on his YouTube channel following Mi's thumping victory, Danish Kaneria remarked:

"The way Suryakumar Yadav batted, Shikhar Dhawan looked absolutely clueless. Forget 11 players, even if there are 22 fielders, he will still find gaps with ease. He hit a six over point, and then also cleared the ropes with the flick shot. There is no place for the bowlers to bowl."

Notably, Suryakumar has amassed 267 runs from nine outings in IPL 2023. He has three half-centuries to his name and is scoring at an average of 29.67.

Mumbai Indians beat Punjab Kings by 6 wickets.

An Epic run chase in Mohali 🏏

📷 : IPL

#PBKSvMI #IPL2023 #Cricket https://t.co/oIMByn6SKD

Danish Kaneria also suggested that PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan erred tactically by giving Arshdeep Singh four overs in the match, given that the Mumbai batters took him apart in the clash.

The 42-year-old opined that even in his dream, Arshdeep would see the ball fly over the ropes after bowling such an expensive spell, adding:

"Shikhar Dhawan's field placements were very bad. He also kept on handing the ball to Arshdeep Singh, despite him being expensive. The Mumbai batters took him apart today.

"Even when he sleeps, he will dream about being hit for sixes. The more room you give, the more you will get hit in T20 cricket. I don't know what the bowling coaches teach these guys. T20 cricket is all about disciplined bowling."

Arshdeep looked off-colour in the contest. The left-arm seamer conceded 66 runs from 3.5 overs while picking up one wicket, finishing with a dismal economy rate of 17.20.

"From field placement to bowling changes, nothing was good" - Danish Kaneria on Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy vs MI

Danish Kaneria felt that Shikhar Dhawan failed as a captain against MI. He stated that the PBKS skipper made many mistakes in terms of field placements and bowling changes.

The former cricketer highlighted that Punjab should have completed Rishi Dhawan's full quota of four overs, considering that he had bowled tidily in the contest. He elaborated:

"Why didn't Shikhar Dhawan give Risi Dhawan another over? What was he waiting for? There was no point in saving that one over. He has bowled a brilliant spell. Shikhar's captaincy was very poor. From field placement to bowling changes, nothing was good."

Rishi got his team off to an impressive start, dismissing Rohit Sharma for a duck in the run chase. The medium pacer was the most economical bowler for Punjab, giving away just 20 runs in his three overs.