Suryakumar Yadav is one of the most popular batters in India right now. His consistent performances for the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise helped him earn a place in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 squad. Yadav is a regular member of the Indian team in white-ball cricket now.
Not many fans would remember that Yadav has been a part of the IPL for a decade now. His first team was Mumbai Indians, but in the 2014 mega auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders became his new home. Yadav played the finisher’s role for the Kolkata-based franchise.
Gautam Gambhir played a huge role in the rise of Yadav because he knew his talent and backed him a lot. He even wanted Yadav to be with KKR beyond the 2017 season, but the Knight Riders did not retain him.
In a recent chat with Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast With Champions, Suryakumar Yadav spoke about his nickname. He is often called “SKY” by his teammates and fans. Yadav revealed that Gambhir gave him that nickname when he was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
When I went to KKR in 2014, Gauti Bhai called me ‘SKY’ two three times: Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar honestly revealed that he had no idea that his initials formed the word ‘SKY’ so when Gautam Gambhir called him that way for the first 2-3 times, he did not respond. Here’s what Yadav had to say about that incident:
“When I went to KKR in 2014, Gauti Bhai called me ‘SKY’ two-three times from behind. I didn’t pay attention. He then said, ‘I am calling you only. Look at your initials!’ That’s when I realized that yes it’s ‘SKY’.”
Yadav and Gambhir’s teams recently went head-to-head in IPL 2022. The Lucknow Super Giants prevailed over the Mumbai Indians, thanks to a century from KL Rahul in the afternoon game.
