Shardul Thakur to be replaced as Mumbai captain while former India skipper confirms availability for upcoming domestic season

Shardul Thakur was appointed as the side’s captain for the previous (2025-26) domestic season where Mumbai endured a very tough campaign. They were knocked out of the Ranji Trophy from the quarter-finals, and crashed out of the Vijay Hazare (one-day) and Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) competitions from the first round itself.

Ahead of the upcoming season and due to the hand injury, Shardul Thakur will not continue as Mumbai’s captain and he is expected to be replaced by middle-order batter Siddhesh Lad, according to a report from the Times of India.

Shardul’s injury reportedly came during a net session where he got hit by the ball driven towards him by youngster Ayush Mhatre.

“Shardul suffered a hand injury when he was struck by a ball that Ayush Mhahre drove towards him. The hand injury is likely to see him miss a few matches,” a Mumbai Cricket Association source told TOI.

The bowling all-rounder last played for India in the fourth of an away five-match Test series in England back in July 2025.

Suryakumar Yadav confirms availability

In another development, India’s former T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who was ousted from the role right after winning the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year, has confirmed his availability for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, which kicks-off on Sunday, October 11.

The same source told TOI that Surya expressed his desire to feature for Mumbai in the red-ball season to MCA president Ajinkya Naik.

“Surya has confirmed his availability for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy to MCA president Ajinkya Naik,” the source said.

Suryakumar’s last appearance in a Ranji Trophy game came in an 80-run loss to Vidarbha in the 2025 semi-final at Nagpur. He has a total of 5758 runs in 86 first-class outings for Mumbai.

Mumbai’s schedule for upcoming Ranji Trophy season