Suryakumar Yadav named Mumbai captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after Ranji omission

Suryakumar Yadav was on Monday named captain of Mumbai's T20 squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which starts on November 14. The World Cup-winning former captain returns to the side after being left out of Mumbai's first four rounds of the Ranji Trophy.

Suryakumar had been earmarked to lead Mumbai in white-ball tournaments if Shreyas Iyer was unavailable, according to PTI. Shreyas will not be available for the majority of the domestic T20 competition because of commitments with the senior national team in ODIs and T20Is, and he will lead India in the last two matches of the ongoing five-match series in New Zealand, which concludes on November 15. Suryakumar has not played competitive cricket since turning up for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 season in May.

He was not picked in India's T20I squad for their recent assignments as the selection committee, headed by ex-chairman Ajit Agarkar, moved on from him and named Shreyas Iyer his successor. Mumbai's decision to name Suryakumar captain comes amid those international and selection developments.

Suryakumar was omitted from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad because of a lack of red-ball practice. The 36-year-old will be keen on proving a point and sending a message to the new-look selection panel, headed by Pragyan Ojha.

Commenting on his appointment, Suryakumar said: "It is always a matter of immense pride to represent Mumbai. I am honoured to lead this talented group in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mumbai has a rich cricketing legacy and a winning culture, and we will look to uphold those traditions," as quoted by a Mumbai Cricket Association Statement. "We have a good mix of experienced players and exciting young talent, and I am confident that the team will come together, play with intensity and give its best in every match. Our aim is to go all the way and bring the trophy home," he added.

The Mumbai squad features India all-rounder Shivam Dube, Sarfaraz Khan and his brother Musheer. The SMAT will also see the return of Shardul Thakur, who returns to competitive cricket after missing the first leg of Ranji Trophy due to a hand injury.

Mumbai will take on Hyderabad in their tournament opener in Kolkata on November 14. Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Divyaansh Saxena, Suved Parkar, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Sairaj Patil, Shivam Dube, Atharva Ankolekar, Shams Mulani, Maxwell Swaminathan, Tushar Deshpande, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester D'Souza, Hardik Tamore (wk).