Mumbai has suffered a major setback ahead of the start of the second round of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. Veteran Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that he will not be taking part in the remainder of the red-ball season due to “personal reasons.”
Mumbai will play without Ajinkya Rahane
Mumbai will play the first of its remaining two Ranji Trophy matches away from home against Hyderabad from January 22-25. After this, it will return to its home ground and play its last league match against Delhi at the MCA-BKC Ground from January 29 to February 1. The Mumbai team for the Hyderabad match is scheduled to be selected on January 17.
According to media reports, MCA will select the Mumbai team for the second phase of the league games, Rahane will not be a part of it as he has informed the MCA that he will not be available for the remaining two red-ball matches. Rahane, 37, who has scored over 14,000 runs in first-class cricket , has been playing for Mumbai for the past two seasons. He last played for India in July 2023. He is part of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and will captain them in the upcoming season.
Read More: ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma in front of breaking Afridi’s record, IND vs NZ 3rd ODI will be historic
This Ranji Trophy season has been average for Rahane, with just one century in four Ranji Trophy matches so far. Ahead of the current season, Rahane announced his decision to step down as captain of the Mumbai cricket team. He announced his decision on social media, writing that it was time to groom a younger player for the role. Shardul Thakur replaced him as the new captain of the state team. Mumbai won the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy title, ending a seven-year drought. Under his captaincy, Mumbai also won the 2024-25 Irani Cup.
Rahane had stated that even after stepping down as captain, he would continue to serve Mumbai cricket as a player. Mumbai tops the Group D points table with 24 points from five matches, having won three and drawn two, and will now play the final two matches of the league phase.