Siddhesh Lad replaces Shardul as Mumbai captain in Ranji Trophy

Shardul Thakur will be replaced as Mumbai captain for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season by experienced middle order batter Siddhesh Lad. Depending on their availability, either Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team in domestic white-ball tournaments.

The 34-year-old Lad has been hailed as the new leader for his consistency and ability to remain composed and calm under pressure. He had signed with Goa for the 2022–23 season, but after a year, he went back to Mumbai. Lad returned to the Mumbai ranks in 2024 and 2025 after serving the mandatory one-year break in 2023 and 2024.

Lad had a fantastic Ranji Trophy season with the bat, scoring 774 runs in eight matches at 77.40, including five centuries and one fifty.

Thakur, 34, has been replaced to manage his workload since the Mumbai think tank aims to maximise his value as their premier fast bowler in the red-ball team. He has also contributed heavily with the bat in crunch situations in the past.

It is for a second consecutive season that Mumbai will enter the Ranji Trophy with a new captain at the helm. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Thakur had replaced Ajinkya Rahane.

Rahane, who retired in July from international and Indian cricket, had led Mumbai to their record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title win in 2023-24 with a compelling victory over Vidarbha in the final.

Mumbai will also be looking to maximise their leadership options in white-ball cricket with the incumbent India T20I captain Iyer and his predecessor Suryakumar both in fray for the captaincy role.

"We have both Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav as the choice for white-ball captaincy, but it depends on their availability," a senior official from the MCA told PTI.

A few months after Suryakumar led India to their second consecutive and overall third title victory at the T20 World Cup in February, Iyer had previously taken over as captain of the T20I team.

Iyer, meanwhile, had also led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2024-25.

Under Thakur, Mumbai had reached the quarterfinal stage of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, knocked out by eventual runners-up Karnataka at home.

The Ranji season will kick off on October 11. Mumbai will take on Chandigarh in their opening match of Elite Group D. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Railways, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand are the other teams in this group.