"He is a better version of AB de Villiers" - Harbhajan Singh hails Suryakumar Yadav after breathtaking knock in RCB clash of IPL 2024

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh hailed Mumbai Indians (MI) star Suryakumar Yadav, calling him an even better version of legendary batter AB de Villiers after the MI-RCB clash on Thursday, April 11.

The 33-year-old in his second game back from injury smashed a breathtaking 19-ball 52 to help MI successfully chase down 197 with over four overs and seven wickets to spare. Suryakumar is also ranked the World's No.1 T20I batter with an average of over 45 and a strike rate of 171.55.

Talking to Star Sports post-match, Harbhajan praised Suryakumar's incredible ability with the bat before making the statement that he is even better than De Villiers.

"Suryakumar is in a different league. When Suryakumar Yadav shines, no one can survive. We have all seen AB de Villiers, unbelievable player! But when I see this guy, I think he is a better version of AB de Villiers. He has won more number of games for his franchise than anyone playing now in this format. If I was part of any team, he would be my first pick, if he comes in the auction. But it's never going to happen," said Harbhajan.

Meanwhile, AB de Villiers was one of IPL's all-time greats, finishing with 5,162 runs at an average of 39.71 and a strike rate of 151.69 in 184 games.

The South African star also finished his stellar career with over 20,000 runs across formats in international cricket with 47 centuries.

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"I have never seen someone dominating like the way Suryakumar does" - Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh further hailed Suryakumar Yadav by calling him the most dominant T20 batter with the innate ability to strike boundaries off any type of delivery at will.

Apart from his extraordinary T20I numbers, the swashbuckling batter also boasts an excellent average of over 32 and a strike rate of 144.27 in 141 IPL games.

"I have never seen someone dominating like the way Suryakumar does. Unbelievable. Where do you bowl to him? I am so glad I am not playing cricket now. At this age, where do you bowl to this guy? He has got an answer for every ball you bowl to him, whether it's wide yorker, bouncer. He can play sweep, pull, upper cut and I don't what else he can play. He is a different kind of a player," said Harbhajan.

MI suffered a hattrick of defeats to open their 2024 IPL season without Suryakumar. However, since his return, Mumbai have won two straight and will look to make it three in a row in their next outing at home against CSK on Sunday, April 14.