5 star cricketers who you didn't know played in Suryakumar Yadav's IPL debut ft. Sourav Ganguly

India’s T20I skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, is celebrating his 35th birthday today (Sunday, September 14). Later this evening, he will face a tough challenge as he leads India in their Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Since making his international debut in 2021, Suryakumar has established himself as one of the finest T20I batters. In 84 matches, he has scored 2,605 runs at an average of 38.30 and a strike rate of 167.30, including 21 fifties and four hundreds. Additionally, he has made 773 runs in 37 ODIs and has appeared in one Test for India.

Beyond his international exploits, Suryakumar has also shone in the IPL. He has played 166 games, amassing 4,311 runs at an average of 35.04 and a strike rate of 148.65, with 29 fifties and two hundreds.

His IPL journey began in 2012 with his current franchise, Mumbai Indians (MI), when he played a solitary game that season against Pune Warriors India (PWI) at the Wankhede Stadium. Suryakumar Yadav had a disappointing outing, getting dismissed for a four-ball duck as MI fell short by 28 runs while chasing 130.

On that note, in this piece, we take a look at five star cricketers you might not know featured in Suryakumar Yadav’s IPL debut.

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#1 Sourav Ganguly

Topping the list is former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who also led Pune Warriors India (PWI) in their game against Mumbai Indians (MI). The southpaw had a disappointing outing, scoring just three runs off six balls before being dismissed by Harbhajan Singh.

Overall, in his IPL career, Ganguly featured in 59 games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and PWI, amassing 1,349 runs at an average of 25.45 and a strike rate of 106.80, including seven fifties.

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#2 Steve Smith

Next on the list is modern-day Australian great Steve Smith. The right-handed batter won the Player of the Match award in Suryakumar Yadav’s debut, representing Pune Warriors India. Smith scored 39 off 32 balls, including four boundaries, helping his team post 129 in their 20-over quota.

Overall, the 36-year-old has featured in 101 IPL games, amassing 2,485 runs at an average of 34.51 and a strike rate of 128.09, including 11 fifties and one century.

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#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Ace pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was also part of Suryakumar Yadav’s IPL debut, representing Pune Warriors India. The right-arm seamer returned figures of 0/13 in two overs during the game.

Meanwhile, in IPL 2025, Bhuvneshwar won the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Overall, he has appeared in 190 IPL games, claiming 198 wickets at an average of 27.33 and a strike rate of 21.3. Bhuvneshwar has an economy rate of 7.69, with his best bowling figures being 5/27.

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#4 Lasith Malinga

Mumbai Indians’ current bowling coach, Lasith Malinga, also featured in that game as a player. The right-arm pacer returned figures of 2/16 in his four-over spell.

Overall, the 42-year-old enjoyed a stellar IPL career, playing 122 games, all for Mumbai Indians. Malinga claimed 170 wickets at an average of 19.79 and a strike rate of 16.6, with an economy rate of 7.14 and best bowling figures of 5/13.

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#5 Dinesh Karthik

The final player on the list is former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik. The wicketkeeper-batter featured for Mumbai Indians in the game, scoring 32 runs off 32 balls, including four fours and one six.

The current Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor played 257 IPL games. The right-handed batter accumulated 4,842 runs at an average of 26.31 and a strike rate of 135.36, including 22 half-centuries.

Edited by Dev Sharma