Thakur to lead Mumbai; Rahane, Sarfaraz named in squad for Ranji Trophy opener
Mumbai: India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been named captain of the Mumbai team for their Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season opener against Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled from October 15 to 18 at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar.
Thakur takes over the captaincy from Ajinkya Rahane, who stepped down ahead of the new domestic season.
The 42-time Ranji champions, placed in Elite Group D alongside Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Pondicherry, will look to make a strong start after losing to J&K by five wickets in their previous encounter last season.
The squad features Sarfaraz Khan, who has been out of India’s Test plans lately, and Shivam Dube, a regular in the T20I setup. Musheer Khan, returning from a car accident that sidelined him for much of last season, has also been included.
Ayush Mhatre, the promising Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings opener who recently led the India U-19 side on tours of England and Australia, earns a place in the 16-member squad.
Notably missing from the lineup are Shreyas Iyer, who is taking a break from red-ball cricket due to a back issue, and Prithvi Shaw, who has moved to Maharashtra. Suryakumar Yadav, who featured in last season’s semifinal loss to Vidarbha, is also absent.
Mumbai Squad: Shardul Thakur (captain), 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.
