Ajinkya Rahane Set To Lead Mumbai In Irani Cup Tie; Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur To Play

Ajinkya Rahane is set to lead Mumbai for their Irani Cup tie against Rest Of India that takes place in Lucknow from October 1 to 5. Shreyas Iyer is also likely to feature in the Mumbai eleven with Shardul Thakur too set to make his comeback. (More Cricket News)

Irani Cup is a one-off annual first class match played between the defending Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India side.

Rahane led Mumbai to their record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title earlier this year and will lead the side for the Irani trophy tie as well. The right-hander has not played for India since July 2023 when he last featured in the Indian XI in a Test match against the West Indies in Port of Spain.

The pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in June this year. He played the IPL for Chennai Super Kings earlier this year but has not been able to make into the Indian side all through this year. With the tour to Australia coming up and India looking for options in the pace-bowling all-rounder's category, Thakur would try to have a good outing in the Irani Cup match.

Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the Test side earlier this year after an extended lull with the bat, will also be a part of the Mumbai middle order. The right-hander recently captained India D in the Duleep Trophy but the team finished at the fourth and last position in the Duleep Trophy. Iyer too had a disappointing tournament, averaging just 25.67 across six innings.

As per a PTI report, it is understood that apart from these three, other top players like Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are supposed to play the match. However, question mark remains on whether Sarfaraz Khan will join Mumbai for the Irani Cup tie or stay with the Indian team.

"Look, Sarfaraz is the only specialist middle-order batter in the squad. Dhruv Jurel is a keeper-batsman and Axar Patel is an all-rounder. What if there is a need for a concussion substitute? But yes, the Irani Cup starts on October 1 and travelling from Kanpur to Lucknow even on September 30 won't be a big deal if the Test match ends early," a BCCI source told PTI.

The second Test match between India and Bangladesh begins September 27 in Kanpur.

Other Mumbai stalwarts like Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube are unlikely to be a part of the Irani Cup tie as the duo would be busy with preparations of the Bangladesh T20Is. India and Bangladesh play three T20Is, starting from October 6.

The Mumbai squad for the Irani Cup tie will be announced on Tuesday.