5 IPL teams who must bid for Suryakumar Yadav at IPL 2027 mini auction after MI exit

Just a couple of days after Suryakumar Yadav was removed from the Indian side’s T20I captain and even their 15-member squad for the upcoming seven T20Is against Ireland and England, he deleted all the posts regarding the Mumbai Indians ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 mini-auction. 

It has been the second such instance among the camp after their captain from the IPL 2026, Hardik Pandya, also decided to unfollow the five-time champions before following them back on Instagram. It has sparked the discussion about whether SKY would still remain a part of the franchise in IPL 2027.

Why SKY's Instagram purge has set the IPL 2027 auction on fire

The stand-in captain of the Mumbai Indians side on many occasions, Suryakumar Yadav, is the second leading run-getter of the side in IPL history. He has smashed 4020 runs in 125 innings at an average of 36.54 and a blistering strike rate of 151.24, thanks to two centuries and 30 fifties at the best score of unbeaten 103 runs. 

On the morning of June 08, the fans struggled to spot a single MI-related picture of Mumbai on SKY’s Instagram profile. The right-handed batter also unfollowed the franchise, which triggered the fire over a speculative exit from the team.

See Also: Suryakumar Yadav exits MI? SKY unfollows Mumbai Indians on Instagram

The only photo of the five-time champions Suryakumar has on his account was one in which he featured along with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, the two T20 World Cup-winning captains of the blue brigade.

5 Teams that cannot afford to miss Suryakumar Yadav at IPL 2027 mini auction

With his potential exit, there is a chance that the Mumbai-born could make his way into the mini auction of the IPL 2027, where a few teams will keep an eye on him. Here are the five teams that can’t afford to miss Suryakumar Yadav at the IPL 2027 mini auction-

#1 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)-

One of the biggest reasons for any team to sign Suryakumar in the IPL 2027 auction will be to strengthen their top order, along with keeping an option in the leadership department. The Kolkata Knight Riders' leader, Ajinkya Rahane, hasn’t done well as the captain and could get replaced if KKR are able to get an experienced Indian campaigner like SKY. 

Kolkata has struggled badly in its top order. Their top three batters have collected only 2023 runs in 27 innings of the IPL since 2025 at an average of 28.10 and a blistering strike rate of 152.33. They have lost 72 wickets in 27 innings, which has been their biggest issue.

See Also: Watch: MS Dhoni's fan welcomes Suryakumar Yadav to Chennai with yellow rose ahead of CSK vs MI clash

Out of this, 1147 runs have come in 2026 at an average of under 30 in 14 innings. SKY, who has played for the KKR earlier to smack 684 runs in 45 innings at a decent strike rate of 135.71 with just one fifty, could make a return to the franchise and lead them.

#2 Chennai Super Kings (CSK)-

Just like the Kolkata franchise of the IPL, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have also struggled in their top order’s contribution since the 2025 season of the event, and are the second-worst side in terms of qualification.

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has nailed 2187 runs in 28 innings of their top order in this period at an average of just 28.78 and a strike rate of 151.98, with the help of 99 sixes and 225 boundaries, besides losing 76 wickets, which never allowed them to get settled. In 2026,

On their side, SKY will bring the massive value of his experience and the funky shots around the ground, especially on a slow Chennai surface, where one needs to stabilize the innings.

#3 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)-

The two-time successive champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), have done really well in the top order, in the presence of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, or even Venkatesh Iyer when Salt was out of the eleven due to his injury. 

But to get more stability in the batting department in their top order, RCB will need an experienced campaigner. They have done really well in this department with 1584 runs in 16 innings during the IPL 2026, when the top order (1-3) had an average of 36.64 and a strike rate of nearly 170 with 75 sixes and 165 boundaries.

See Also: Suryakumar Yadav and Devisha Shetty are blessed with baby girl ahead of RCB vs MI IPL 2026 clash

Bengaluru will hope to sign SKY, which will allow Rajat Patidar to bat more freely, giving them the strength they will get at the top of the batting department. That will be a huge boost for the franchise, which collected nearly 1500 runs even in the last edition of the event from their top order.

#4 Delhi Capitals (DC)-

Delhi Capitals (DC) have faced the same issue in their top order of the batting department in the last couple of seasons of the IPL. They got an experienced campaigner, KL Rahul, at the opening position. But if he gets dismissed early, then they lack the stability at number three and four, which SKY can fulfill in the upcoming edition.

The Capitals made only 2307 runs in 28 innings of the IPL through the last two editions of the competition, regarding their top order’s contribution at an average of 28.78 and a strike rate of 154.42. They have lost 82 wickets in 28 innings, which is nearly three each, meaning only two of their batters have remained unbeaten throughout the innings since 2025.

In the recent season of the event, the Axar Patel-led side managed only 1231 runs in 14 innings of the IPL at an average of under 30 and a strike rate of little more than 160, with the help of 56 sixes.

Delhi will easily accept the the former Indian T20I captain, who could lead them in the next cycle of the tournament after Axar has struggled in that aspect. 

#5 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)-

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have not done well in the last couple of seasons of the IPL under the leadership of Rishabh Pant, who has stepped down from his leadership duties after the end of the 2026 season.

The Super Giants have done well towards the back end of the IPL as Josh Inglis did well at the opening position along with Mitchel Marsh, who has collected over 550 runs in the last two seasons of the IPL. He could be a new leader of the side, but if the management wants to hand over the leadership duties to an Indian, then SKY could come into the equation.

See Also: How Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav sank under Hardik Pandya's captaincy at Mumbai Indians

Lucknow has struggled at number three due to the poor show from Nicholas Pooran, having smashed 1373 runs in 13 innings, whose major chunk was scored by the openers. The presence of SKY will also make it easy for Pant to play his natural game.

How has Suryakumar Yadav performed at number 3 & 4 in IPL history?

Suryakumar Yadav has batted at number three in the IPL 65 times. In those many innings, the right-handed batter has smashed 1899 runs at an average of 33.30 and a strike rate of 148.90, with the help of 14 half-centuries and one century at the best score of 103 runs. He has scored 208 boundaries and 71 sixes at this position.

At number four, SKY has featured in 51 innings of the IPL, where he has blasted 1674 runs at an average of 38 and a blistering strike rate of 154, thanks to 12 fifties and one century, having clubbed 164 boundaries and 74 sixes, which is a fantastic record.

That means the veteran has done equally well in both positions and could look to continue the same success after a tough campaign in the IPL 2026. Several teams will be eager to sign him for the upcoming season.