Mumbai, October 6, 2026 – Former India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has been left out of Mumbai’s 16-member squad for their opening Ranji Trophy 2026-27 fixture against Chandigarh, despite having indicated his availability for the season. India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in the side.
The match is scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium from October 11. Siddhesh Lad will captain the team, with 19-year-old Ayush Mhatre (India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning captain) named vice-captain.
Mumbai chief selector Rajesh Pawar explained the decision by pointing to Suryakumar’s long absence from red-ball cricket. “He is obviously a big-match player and a proven performer for Mumbai. We just want him to get into rhythm by playing a few red-ball matches. Surya hasn’t played a red-ball match for the last 18 months, so we want him to have a few games under his belt and then he can get into the team,” Pawar said.
Suryakumar’s last first-class appearance was in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy semi-final. The Mumbai Cricket Association had earlier approached him about availability, and he confirmed he was ready to play. The omission comes after he was removed as India’s T20I captain earlier this year.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who also made himself available, strengthens Mumbai’s batting alongside Sarfaraz Khan and others. Seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur is unavailable due to a finger injury for at least the first two matches.
Siddhesh Lad (captain), Ayush Mhatre (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Divyaansh Saxena, Tushar Deshpande, Musheer Khan, Mohit Avasthi, Sarfaraz Khan, Sylvester D’Souza, Suved Parkar, Onkar Tarmale, Aakash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk).
The decision has drawn attention given Suryakumar’s stature and his willingness to return to domestic red-ball cricket. Selectors have indicated that match practice in the longer format could open the door for a later return to the side.