Suryakumar Yadav left out of Mumbai's Ranji squad after skipping pre-season camp

Suryakumar Yadav was omitted from Mumbai's 16-member Ranji Trophy squad, the Mumbai Cricket Association told PTI on Tuesday, after he did not attend the team's pre-season camp ahead of the season-opener against Chandigarh from October 11-14 at Wankhede Stadium. He had, however, made himself available for selection despite missing the training routines.

India's former T20 International captain returned to the domestic circuit after losing his place in the national side but did not take part in the pre-season training sessions that preceded the squad announcement. Mumbai's red-ball contingent has been preparing for the last month, with practice continuing on Tuesday at the Cricket Club of India and the MCA's BKC Ground. The selectors considered his lack of recent red-ball exposure when assessing the squad.

"At the end, it is a team game. He does not have any immediate red-ball experience and everyone was unanimous in their decision on Suryakumar," the MCA source said, adding that the selectors, otherwise, would have had to exclude a young player which "did not seem fair."

PTI understands Suryakumar was non-responsive about 10 days ago when he was first approached for Mumbai squad selection and made himself available at a later stage. Those factors, together with his absence from the pre-season camp, were cited as reasons he was not named in the 16-man side to face Chandigarh from October 11-14 at Wankhede Stadium.

The doors to Mumbai selection are not completely shut: Suryakumar was last seen in action during the T20 Mumbai League shortly after the IPL and has been told he must play club cricket organised by the MCA, such as the Police Shield or the Purushottam Shield Tournament, to regain contention. The report states the situation regarding his white-ball prospects remains unchanged.

Mumbai selectors have conveyed to the 36-year-old that he will be considered for domestic tournaments coming up in the 2026-27 season. He led India to their third T20 World Cup title earlier this year and is reportedly in line to lead Mumbai only if Shreyas Iyer, his successor in the national side, is not available.

Former Mumbai captain and India all-rounder Shardul Thakur is sidelined for at least a month and will miss a few Ranji Trophy matches after sustaining an injury to his hand during training. With Siddhesh Lad set to lead Mumbai this season, the squad for the opener includes India batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, along with regulars Shams Mulani and Tushar Deshpande, who were part of India A's 1-0 win in the unofficial Test series against Australia A recently.

Suryakumar will need to participate in MCA club competitions such as the Police Shield or Purushottam Shield to press his case for selection, while Mumbai begin their Ranji campaign against Chandigarh from October 11-14 at Wankhede Stadium.