Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are in contention for Mumbai’s white-ball captaincy, while Siddhesh Lad replaces Shardul Thakur as Ranji Trophy captain.
Published: September 2, 2026, 3:42 PM IST
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Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are in the race for Mumbai captaincy(Photo: X)
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is deciding who will lead the side in white-ball cricket this seasonBoth Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are in contention for the captaincy role in domestic limited-overs tournaments.
A senior MCA official confirmed the situation.
“We have both Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav as the choice for white-ball captaincy, but it depends on their availability,” the official told PTI.
The final decision will be based on which of the two India stars can make time for Mumbai’s domestic white-ball fixtures.
Iyer’s strong record as Mumbai captain
Shreyas Iyer already has a strong record as Mumbai’s white-ball captainHe led the team to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in the 2024-25 season, making him a natural contender for the role again.
Iyer also took over as India’s T20I captain a few months after Suryakumar Yadav guided the national team to the T20 World Cup title earlier this yearThe change at the international level has put both players in interesting positions when it comes to leadership duties in domestic cricket.
Suryakumar Yadav remains a strong contender
Suryakumar Yadav remains firmly in contention as wellEven after losing the India T20I captaincy, he continues to be one of Mumbai’s biggest stars.
The MCA wants to keep its leadership options open and will make a final decision after assessing the availability of both players.
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Siddhesh Lad takes over as Ranji Trophy captain
In red-ball cricket, Mumbai have made a clear changeSiddhesh Lad has been appointed captain for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, replacing Shardul Thakur.
Lad, 34, earned the role after an impressive batting season last yearHe scored 774 runs in eight matches at an average of 77.40, including five centuries and one fifty.
Within the Mumbai setup, Lad is regarded as a calm leader who remains composed under pressure.
Lad had earlier moved to Goa for the 2022-23 seasonAfter completing the required cooling-off period, he returned to Mumbai in 2024-25 and has now been handed the leadership role in the state’s red-ball team.
Why Mumbai replaced Shardul Thakur?
Shardul Thakur had taken over as Mumbai’s Ranji captain from Ajinkya Rahane ahead of the 2025-26 seasonUnder his leadership, Mumbai reached the quarter-finals before losing to Karnataka.
The team management has now decided to take the captaincy burden off Thakur so that he can focus fully on his bowlingThe move is also aimed at managing his workload and getting the best out of him as the team’s lead seamer in the longer format.
Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy schedule
The Ranji Trophy season begins on October 11Mumbai have been placed in Elite Group D alongside Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Railways, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Their opening match will be against Chandigarh.
