Shardul Thakur named new captain, no Yashasvi Jaiswal as Mumbai announce probable squad for Ranji Trophy

Star Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been announced as the new captain of the Mumbai team for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, taking over from veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane. The decision comes after Rahane voluntarily stepped down, stating that he believes the time is right for a leadership transition within the team. The 37-year-old expressed his desire to allow the management to groom a new leader, while reiterating his full commitment to the team as a player.

“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it's the right time to groom a new leader. And hence I've decided not to continue in the captaincy role. I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season,” Rahane wrote in a social media post.

Shardul is no stranger to leadership responsibilities. He has led Mumbai in phases before. Meanwhile, in last year’s Ranji Trophy, he played a pivotal role in guiding the team to the semi-finals. Although Mumbai fell short against Vidarbha in the knockout stage, Thakur’s overall performance, both as a player



and a leader, was widely praised. His impressive domestic run also played a part in earning him a recall to the Indian squad for the five-match Test series against England.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion from Mumbai’s squad has raised a few eyebrows. In recent years, the BCCI has emphasised the importance of players participating in domestic cricket, even for those part of the national setup. As a result, top players like KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna have been named in Karnataka’s probable squad.

Jaiswal, however, finds himself out of the Mumbai team despite prior reports suggesting he would rejoin the squad after a rumoured move to Goa fell through. His omission remains a puzzling development ahead of the season.

Mumbai Ranji Trophy Probable Squad:

Shardul Thakur (c), Ayush Mhatre, Musheer Khan, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Akhil Herwadkar, Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, Siddhesh Lad, Suved Parkar, Suryansh Shedge, Akash Parkar, Tushar Deshpande, Sylvester Dsouza, Irfan Umair, Roystan Dias, Pratik Mishra, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Prasad Pawar (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Atharva Ankolekar, and Ishan Mulchandani.