Multiple players from the Indian Premier League franchise (IPL) Mumbai Indians (MI) donned the Indian cricket team jersey at the highest stage of cricket, including India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. During a YouTube podcast, he credited Mumbai Indians for grooming multiple talents over the years who have done some remarkable jobs for the nation.

Yadav dragged MI into the discussion because of Tilak Varma. They were discussing Tilak Varma's Asia Cup 2025 final match-winning knock before mentioning the multi-time IPL-winning franchise. Who is Tilak, who batted with so much confidence and composure? In reply, Surya focused on his background, from which he groomed himself. Like Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma also played for the Mumbai Indians.

For Yadav, the Mumbai-based franchise is the "Gurukul," where an emerging cricketer can polish his skills with methodical training and discipline. As Varma played multiple matches for MI, Surya claimed that the 22-year-old already knew how to handle pressure situations before the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Final match. 

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Mumbai Indians is the institute: Suryakumar Yadav 

"Before Team India, we played for the Mumbai Indians; it was like a Gurukul, an institute, for us. Mumbai Indians is the foundation where players are built. When we play for Mumbai Indians, we already feel the pressure, so when we play for India, we just try to replicate what we did for Mumbai Indians," Suryakumar Yadav said. 

Meanwhile, in the Asia Cup 2025 final, he scored 69 not out against 53 deliveries with three 4s and four 6s. India won the match by 5 wickets, chasing a target of 147 runs.