Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has stepped down as Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy captain to “groom a new leader” ahead of the upcoming season. He has, nonetheless, careworn that he’ll proceed to don the staff’s lion’s crest with pleasure.
“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 have decided not to continue in the captaincy role,” Rahane posted on social media.
“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.”
The Hindu understands that Rahane’s choice got here the morning after main stakeholders of the lads’s cricket setup had a gathering to chart out a roadmap for the season. With Dilip Vengsarkar, the previous India captain who has been appointed as the lads’s cricket advisor, in attendance together with the senior choice committee members and Cricket Improvement Committee members, the captaincy concern was mentioned.
According to an MCA insider, a message could have been relayed to Rahane in regards to the choice committee in search of a brand new captain and the veteran responded favourably.
Captaincy document
Under Rahane’s captaincy, Mumbai ended the eight-year Ranji Trophy title drought by lifting its forty second title in 2023-24. The home powerhouse couldn’t defend the title final season, dropping to Vidarbha within the semifinal.
Despite his spectacular captaincy, Rahane, the run-machine, struggled to get going within the whites. In 2023-24, he had his worst Ranji season with the willow, tallying 214 runs in 13 innings at 17.83.
In 2024-25, after having an distinctive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Shreyas Iyer on the helm, Rahane scored 467 runs in 14 innings at 35.92.
With Rahane having stepped down as captain, he can be beneath strain to justify his place within the staff with a bunch of kids knocking on the selectors’ door. The Mumbai selectors, with Sanjay Patil as chairman, must search for a brand new captain, in the meantime.
With Shreyas Iyer more likely to be unavailable for the entire season as a consequence of worldwide commitments, the selectors are more likely to hand over the reins to Shardul Thakur. The allrounder was not too long ago introduced as the West Zone captain for the Duleep Trophy. The different contenders embrace Shams Mulani, the vice-captain, and Siddhesh Lad, each of whom have led the staff earlier.
The 2025-26 Ranji season begins in October.
