Shardul Thakur to lead Mumbai's charge in Ranji Trophy opener against J&K

Mumbai, Oct 10 (IANS) The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has appointed India all-rounder Shardul Thakur as the new captain of Mumbai for the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season. The announcement came on Friday, with Sarfaraz Khan and Ajinkya Rahane also included in the 16-member squad for the season opener against Jammu and Kashmir.

Thakur takes over the reins from Rahane, who stepped down from the leadership role ahead of the new season.

The squad features India batter Sarfaraz Khan, who has been out of the national Test setup for some time, along with all-rounder Shivam Dube, a regular in India’s T20I side.

Musheer Khan, who missed most of the 2024–25 domestic season following a car accident, returns to the team, while promising opener Ayush Mhatre - who has represented India’s U-19 team on recent tours to England and Australia - also earns a place.

However, the squad will be without Shreyas Iyer, who has opted out of red-ball cricket temporarily due to a back issue, and Prithvi Shaw, who has shifted to Maharashtra after losing his place last season.

Another notable absentee is Suryakumar Yadav, who played in Mumbai’s semifinal clash against Vidarbha last season - a match the team lost by 80 runs to the eventual champions.

The 42-time Ranji champions will kick off their campaign against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar from October 15. Mumbai, placed in Elite Group D, will face Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Puducherry in the league stage.

Mumbai squad: Shardul Thakur (c), Ayush Mhatre, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Siddhesh Lad, Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Sylvester D’Souza, Irfan Umair, Musheer Khan, Akhil Herwadkar, Royston Dias.

--IANS

ab/bsk/