Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
The Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad for the upcoming season will be selected between October 8 and 10, and as has been widely reported, Shardul Thakur is the frontrunner to take over the captaincy from Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane has stepped down as Mumbai skipper, but will continue as a player.
“At present, we are playing the KSCA tournament, and after that, we will have some camps or that sort of thing,” Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Abhay Hadap told RevSportz. “Some local tournaments like Kanga
League and Police Shield will start. And then, the (Ranji Trophy) team shall be selected by the selectors, probably between October 8 and 10.”
The 42-time champions start their Ranji Trophy campaign this term with an away fixture against Jammu and Kashmir from October 15. “The team will leave by October 11, depending on the practice facilities available there. Else, they will go on October 12,” informed Hadap.
He remained coy over the captaincy choice, saying that it would be the selectors’ prerogative, and the association wouldn’t interfere. “This is a call to be taken by the selectors,” said Hadap. “A lot will depend on the availability of the players. If Shardul is selected for India or India A, then the selection committee have to change their decision. So, we will wait for that.”
Mumbai won their 42nd Ranji Trophy title under Rahane in 2023-24. Last season, they couldn’t go the distance, losing to Vidarbha in the semi-final. Rahane himself was inconsistent as a batsman, scoring 467 runs at an average of 35.92 from 14 innings. Also, there were some reported dressing-room issues involving Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the youngster deciding to leave Mumbai and play for Goa before making a U-turn on the insistence of an India and Mumbai legend. Jaiswal, in fact, stopped short of applying for an NOC from the MCA.
For Mumbai, this is a fresh start, and Shreyas Iyer would have been a shoo-in to replace Rahane as captain. But his availability is a factor. Shreyas will lead India A in the unofficial Tests against Australia A, and he is likely to return to the Test fold, with India playing against West Indies in October.
Even if the middle-order batsman doesn’t make it to the Test squad, he would be part of India’s ODI team for the three-match series in Australia next month. Shreyas was reportedly offered the West Zone captaincy for this season’s Duleep Trophy, but he refused it, assuming that he would be part of India’s Asia Cup squad. He didn’t expect the snub, but as RevSportz reported, being selected as India A captain appears to be a precursor to his Test return.
Mumbai didn’t win the Ranji Trophy last term. What are the expectations for the upcoming season? “Our aim always is that we should provide more and more players for India,” said Hadap. “That’s the ultimate goal. Winning and losing is a part of the game.”
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