Last Updated:June 16, 2026, 21:45 IST
Robin Uthappa says Suryakumar Yadav may return to KKR to reunite with Gautam Gambhir, possibly as captain, after being dropped from India and struggling for Mumbai Indians.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Robin Uthappa believes Suryakumar Yadav will return to the franchise sooner rather than later, in an eventual plan to reunite with Gautam Gambhir.
Suryakumar, 35, was recently dropped from the Indian T20I squad despite leading the side to T20 World Cup 2026 glory. With the door to the national team seemingly closed, Uthappa believes Suryakumar could be open for a late switch to end his IPL career on a high.
He is coming off a poor IPL 2026 season for the Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring only 270 runs in 14 outings. He has been with MI since 2018, after the franchise gave him a top-order role. Before that, he played for KKR from 2014 to 2017 under Gambhir’s captaincy, with the skipper using him as a finisher.
“From Surya’s point of view, for all intensive purposes, he might go to KKR," Uthappa said on the CommBoxTV YouTube channel. “It rekindles the idea that once Gautam Gambhir finishes his stint with the Indian team, he probably goes back into KKR as a mentor or coach. And Surya fits into that as captain with Gambhir as the mentor again."
Gambhir was KKR’s mentor in IPL 2024, when the team last won the title. He was then promoted to the India men’s team’s all-format coach and won the 2026 T20 World Cup with Suryakumar.
The duo shared quite a cordial relationship during the time but Suryakumar’s poor IPL form and the emergence of Shreyas Iyer as a younger alternative fro the 2028 T20 World Cup led to the Mumbaikar’s exit.
“Surya will play until he is 40. Unless he is marred by terrible form and the midas touch is just over. But returning to the Indian side is going to be hard for Surya. He won’t get A cricket at his age. So he won’t get to play on the Australian wickets where the 2028 T20 World Cup will be played," Uthappa said.
Iyer’s first assignment as T20I captain will be India’s upcoming two-match series in Ireland, starting June 26.
