Ajinkya Rahane has step down as the skipper of the Mumbai Ranji team ahead of the new domestic season. Taking to social media X, he dropped a tweet stating that it was time to groom a new leader. He wrote, "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 @MumbaiCricAssoc to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season."
How did Mumbai team perform under Rahane's leadership?
Under Rahane's leadership, Mumbai won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season, and he was also the tournament's highest run-scorer. Mumbai also made it to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, where they lost to Vidharbha by 90 runs.
The right-handed middle-order batsman had previously led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in the 2023-24 season, ending a seven-year drought for the championship. The following year (2024-25), Mumbai won the Irani Trophy under his captaincy.
The 37-year-old batter, who is out of the national reckoning, will be into his 19th first-class season with Mumbai.
Who will be Mumbai Team's next skipper?
There is no shortage of players capable of leading the Mumbai team for the upcoming domestic season. The former Ranji champions have established cricketers like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan in their ranks.
Shreyas Iyer has already led three IPL franchises and is also in consideration for India captaincy. Surya is the current T20I captain of India, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan are yet to lead any team.
Jaiswal could be out of contention considering his involvement in Test cricket. The Mumbai selectors might be keen on appointing a player who is available for most of the season. Both Iyer and Surya are currently not in consideration for Test cricket at the moment, making them an ideal fit to take Mumbai cricket forward.
