Team India’s veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane has taken a big decision to leave the captaincy of Mumbai before the upcoming domestic season. 37-year-old Rahane has taken this decision keeping in mind his age and preparing a new captain. He will be a part of the Mumbai team as a player. Rahane made this announcement of leaving the captaincy on social media. Rahane believes that this is the right time to prepare a new captain for Mumbai and he has also reiterated that he will continue to play for the team.
Under Rahane’s captaincy, Mumbai ended their seven-year wait for the Ranji Trophy by winning the title in the 2023-24 season. The team also won the Irani Trophy in the 2024-25 season. Even though Rahane has stepped down as captain, he made it clear that he is not retiring and will continue to play for Mumbai as a batsman in all formats.
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Who will be the next captain of Mumbai?
The Mumbai team has experienced players like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan. Except for Jaiswal and Sarfaraz, the others have good captaincy records. Iyer has led three IPL teams, while Suryakumar is the current T20 captain of India.
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’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role.
I remain fully committed to giving my best…
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) August 21, 2025
Because of Jaiswal’s Test matches with India, the selectors may prefer someone who will be available for most of the domestic season. Both Iyer and Suryakumar are strong contenders to replace Rahane as Mumbai captain.