Mumbai will begin their Ranji Trophy 2025–26 campaign without key all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been ruled out of the season opener against Jammu & Kashmir, starting Wednesday (October 15) in Srinagar. The 30-year-old had travelled with the squad but was forced to return to Mumbai on Tuesday evening after suffering from back stiffness, reportedly aggravated by the chilly conditions in the valley.
According to reports, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) medical team assessed his condition and recommended rest to prevent further injury. The move is believed to be a precautionary measure, especially since Dube is part of India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series in Australia, beginning on October 29.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝑴𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒊 𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚,” 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔.
Mumbai banking on depth in Dube’s absence
Despite his absence, Mumbai remains confident of a strong start under the captaincy of Shardul Thakur. The responsibility now shifts to Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian, who will have to manage both batting and bowling duties in Dube’s stead.
Over the past couple of seasons, Dube has been a standout performer for Mumbai, balancing his national duties with domestic commitments whenever possible. His explosive batting and medium-pace bowling have made him a pivotal figure in red-ball cricket.
“𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍-𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒉𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔,” 𝒂𝒏 𝑴𝑪𝑨 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅.
Veteran Ajinkya Rahane, who continues as a senior member after relinquishing captaincy, has been training since July and is expected to anchor the middle order. Mumbai also welcomes back Musheer Khan, fit again after missing last season with a neck injury, alongside his brother Sarfaraz Khan, who has recovered from a quadriceps issue.
Placed in Elite Group D alongside Delhi, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and J&K, Mumbai will look to avenge their shocking home defeat to J&K from last season and reclaim their dominance in the domestic circuit.
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