Ajinkya Rahane had won the last Ranji Trophy title for Mumbai under his captaincy.
Mumbai handed over the captaincy to the experienced Ajinkya Rahane for the Irani Cup. Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur will also be part of the squad. Shreyas featured in the Duleep Trophy, while Shardul returns after injury. While Rahane was recently playing county cricket in England.
2023 Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai will face the rest of India in the Irani Cup. The match will be played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow from October 1 to 5.
Shardul will return after the operation
Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur underwent surgery for an ankle injury in June this year. After the operation, he stayed away from cricket for 3 months. Then in September, he himself participated in the Karnataka tournament. The Mumbai Cricket Association said he would be available for the Irani Cup. The full squad for the Irani Cup may be announced by Tuesday.
Shardul Thakur played the final of the 2023 World Test Championship for India.
Mumbai won the title under the leadership of Rahane
Till 2015-16, Mumbai had won 41 Ranji Trophy titles. The team could not yet win the trophy in the next 6 tournaments. The team reached the final in 2016 and 2021, but lost to Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Just last year, Ajinkya Rahane was missing from the Indian team. After which Mumbai made him captain of their Ranji team. The team performed brilliantly and won the Ranji Trophy title for the 42nd time by defeating Vidarbha in the final. The team title victory came after 6 years.
Shreyas awaits his international comeback
After playing the ODI World Cup for India in 2023, Shreyas Iyer was also selected in the England series squad. But after poor performances in the first matches, he was dropped. Now he didn’t get any chance even in the Test series against Bangladesh. However, he captained the D team in the Duleep Trophy.
Shreyas will now look for a return to the Indian team on the back of good performances in Irani Cup and Ranji Trophy. After Bangladesh, the Indian team is also scheduled to play a 3-Test series against New Zealand.
Shreyas Iyer played his last Test for India in February this year.
The rest of India is yet to be declared
Mumbai informed about their team captain and two important players. However, the Rest of India squad is yet to be announced. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may also include the rest of the top players participating in the Duleep Trophy in the rest of India.
The new NCA inaugurated on the 28th
The BCCI said that the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) built in Bangalore would be inaugurated on September 28. The new NCA will also have 3 world-class pitches, 45 training pitches, indoor cricket pitches, an Olympic swimming pool, a training and recovery center as well as sports science facilities.