After finishing just short of the IPL-18 final with five-time champions , India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has set a new goal for himself — to lead his city team, Triumph Knights Mumbai North East, to the T20 Mumbai League (TML) title for a second time.

The third edition of the eight-team TML starts at the Wankhede Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium today.

“We always play a tournament to win it. As we know, we won the first season [in 2018] and a lot of boys from that season are still part of this team, so, we know what to do to win championships. All our players are playing 360-degree cricket. Just watch them playing for 10 minutes and you will know,” Suryakumar said during the unveiling the Triumph Knights jersey at a hotel in Worli on Tuesday.

Surya to face Iyer again

On Sunday, Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer’s 87 not out was the reason MI lost the Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad and were eliminated the Indian Premier League. Interestingly, Suryakumar’s team will face the Iyer-led SoBo Mumbai Falcons at the Wankhede on June 6. “Is he [Iyer] SoBo [Falcons] captain? I actually don’t know,” Suryakumar said jokingly, going on to praise Iyer though. “I think it will be a good game because the way he’s leading in the IPL, and the way he plays for Mumbai, he had played the same way when we had the first season of the tournament [TML] in 2018. His excitement and the way he plays and spends time with other players is great,” Suryakumar told mid-day.

Stars in the making

“The holds a special place for me and I think it’s a tremendous opportunity provided by MCA for the city’s youngsters. Since making my debut in the inaugural 2018 edition, I’ve seen the impact this league has had across teams and tournament — be it India ‘A’, Ranji Trophy, IPL or the other leagues. I’m sure Season Three will see some high-octane action and the discovery of some new
talent,” added Suryakumar.