There is not a single shot that Aapla Dada Surya cannot play with the willow in hand. Front of the wicket, behind the wicket, the scoop, the no-look shot, you name it, SKY has it. When SKY is at the crease, there is no dearth of entertainment for the Paltan.

And we know, the party is going to be as entertaining as his birthday. SKY’s journey with Mumbai Indians has been a fairytale. In seven seasons wearing Blue and Gold, Aapla Dada Surya, along with two titles, won the hearts of millions of MI Paltan.

On his 34th birthday, let us rewind some of his iconic knocks in the Blue and Gold over the last seven years.

102* off 51 balls, MI vs SRH, IPL 2024

It was a ‘SKY’scraper at the Wankhede Stadium as Surya produced one of the best knocks in IPL. His unbeaten ton powered MI to a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad with 16 balls to spare and won him the Player of the Match.

Chasing 174, we were reeling at 31/3. Why worry when we have Surya Dada at the crease. The result: MI did not lose another wicket as SKY smacked the ball wherever he wanted to. It was full-on entertainment for the Paltan with SKY blasting 12 fours and six sixes to get to his second IPL century.

103* off 49 balls, MI vs GT, IPL 2023

First IPL hundred! This time batting first. SKY only saw the gaps and not the fielders. He charted a key milestone on his favourite hunting ground, the Wankhede Stadium, to hand us a 27-run win over Gujarat Titans.

On a day when fielders were busy fetching the ball from outside the boundary, SKY exhibited his full array of shots hitting 11 fours and six sixes. And what a season it was for the Mumbaikar as he amassed 605 runs, his highest tally in a single season.

68* off 37 balls, MI vs RCB, IPL 2022

SKY bailed out MI from a batting collapse single-handedly to help us to a respectable total against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Pune. A good start suddenly turned into a collapse as we slid from 50/0 to 79/6.

SKY stood tall with his unbeaten 68 off 37 balls though we lost the contest by seven wickets. The knock, which had five fours and six sixes, stood out for the character and grit shown by Aapla Dada Surya, who was not ready to go down without a fight.

82 off 40 balls, MI vs SRH, IPL 2021

It was a typical SKY innings with 70 off the total 82 runs coming in boundaries (13 fours and three sixes) as MI batted SRH out of the contest with a 42-run win in Abu Dhabi. Fast bowler, medium-pacer or spinner it didn’t matter for Surya as he went about destroying them all.

Walking in at number five, SKY was at his aggressive best scoring 82 off just 40 deliveries as MI raced to 235/9, their highest total in the history of IPL till then before it was bettered in 2024. Ishan Kishan also played a blinder (84 off 32) to help our cause.

79* off 43 balls, MI vs RCB, IPL 2020

The ‘Main Hoon Na’ knock!

Another day, another chase done and dusted. SKY produced a chasing masterclass in front of the chase master in Abu Dhabi as MI beat RCB by five wickets. SKY remained unbeaten and top-scored in the match with a 43-ball 79 that won him the Player of the Match award.

He dealt both Dale Steyn and Yuzvendra Chahal with consummate ease smashing 10 fours and three sixes. The opponents were clueless on how to control this man who was in full flow. SKY had another wonderful season with the bat scoring 480 runs and helping MI win their fifth IPL crown.

71* off 54 balls, CSK vs MI, IPL 2019

There is nothing like silencing a strong home crowd in their den. Aapla Dada Surya did exactly that in the high-stakes Qualifier 1 against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. It was a case of one against thousands as SKY remained unbeaten on 71 from 54 balls and MI sailed through to the final with a six-wicket win.

Our man displayed nerves of steel as we slipped to 21/2 early in the chase. With a difficult pitch and a crucial match on hand, SKY mastered the chase yet again with an assuring knock that included 10 boundaries. SKY scored more than 400 runs and won his first IPL title with us in 2019.

72 off 47 balls, RR vs MI, IPL 2018

Opening the batting, SKY notched his second fifty in just his fifth match for MI against Rajasthan Royals. Sizzling with six fours and three sixes in his innings, and along with Ishan Kishan, he added 129 runs for the second wicket to silence the crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur during their rollicking stand.

SKY scored 72 off just 47 balls but unfortunately, MI lost the match by three wickets. He however went on to score 500-plus runs in a single IPL season for the first time in his career and that too in the first season with us.