Seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur is set to captain Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Karnataka, commencing on February 6 at the MCA-BKC Ground in Mumbai. Thakur’s return follows his recovery from a calf injury sustained during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He will take over the captaincy from stand-in skipper Siddhesh Lad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, the left-handed opener, has also been included in the squad and is poised to play his first Ranji Trophy game since the season resumed. Mumbai, the 42-time Ranji Trophy champions, are banking on the return of their key players to challenge Karnataka, a team led by Devdutt Padikkal and featuring Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna.
In a recent league stage game against Delhi, Mumbai players had to wear masks due to pollution from nearby construction activities. Precautionary measures, including protective sheets at the construction sites, will be implemented during the upcoming quarterfinal match. Mumbai finished as table-toppers of Elite Group D with 33 points.
The Ranji Trophy quarterfinals will also witness clashes between Jharkhand and Uttarakhand at Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir at Holkar Stadium in Indore, and Bengal and Andhra at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani.
