Ranji Trophy: Mumbai leave out Suryakumar Yadav for opener
What's the story
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced a major change in its squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. Ayush Mhatre, a 19-year-old prodigy who led India to an Under-19 World Cup victory, has been named as the vice-captain of the team. The decision comes as part of MCA's plan to groom him as a future captain.
Exclusion
Suryakumar Yadav left out of Mumbai squad
In another major development, former captain Suryakumar Yadav has been left out of the squad for the season-opener against Chandigarh at Wankhede Stadium from October 11.
Despite making himself available for selection, Suryakumar was not considered by the Mumbai selection committee led by Rajesh Pawar.
The reason behind this decision is to give younger players a chance and allow Suryakumar to regain his red-ball rhythm first.
Stats
Suryakumar has played a Test for India
SKY played his solitary Test in February 2023 before being left out.
The 36-year-old owns 5,758 runs in the First-Class format at a decent average of 42.33 (100s: 14).
Earlier this year, he was removed as India's T20I captain and dropped from the squad despite leading the team to the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup title.
Justification
Pawar on Suryakumar's exclusion
Pawar said, "Surya is available but it was thought to go with the youngsters for the time being. He is obviously a big-match player and a proven performer for Mumbai. We just want to get into rhythm by playing a few red-ball matches."
He added that Suryakumar hasn't played a red-ball match in 18 months, so they want him to have some games under his belt before he can rejoin the team.
Team changes
Shardul Thakur to miss first 2 matches
Mumbai will also miss the services of last season's captain Shardul Thakur, who has suffered a slight fracture to his right middle finger during a training session. He is likely to miss at least the first two matches.
However, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will be part of the opener match squad after making himself available for selection.