Ajinkya Rahane in action. (FILE photo)
Veteran Mumbai batter Ajinkya Rahane has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that he won’t be taking part in the rest of the red-ball season due to ‘personal reasons’. Mumbai will play the first of their remaining two Ranji Trophy matches against Hyderabad away from home from January 22-25 before returning to their home turf to play their last league phase match against Delhi at the MCA-BKC ground from January 29-February 1.
The Mumbai team for the Hyderabad match is scheduled to be picked on January 17th. “We will be picking the Mumbai team for their second stage of league game, Rahane won’t be taking part as he has informed MCA that he won’t be available for the remaining two red ball games,” a source in the MCA told The Indian Express.
The 37-year-old has been playing for Mumbai for the past two seasons and has been out of favour for national selection since last playing for India in July 2023. He is part of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and will be playing in the upcoming season. For a batsman of his calibre, Rahane has had an ordinary season, having made only one hundred in four Ranji Trophy matches so far.
It was before the current season that Rahane had announced that he would be stepping down as captain of the Mumbai cricket team. The Indian cricketer had announced his decision on social media, writing that it was time to groom a youngster for the role. Shardul Thakur took over from him as the new captain of the state side.
Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour.
With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role.
I remain fully committed to giving my best…
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) August 21, 2025
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Mumbai went on to win the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy title, ending a seven-year drought, as well as the 2024-25 Irani Cup under his leadership. Rahane had said that he would continue to serve Mumbai cricket as a player after relinquishing the captaincy.
“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role,” Rahane posted on X. He added, “I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with @MumbaiCricAssoc to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.”
Mumbai enter the last two league phase matches on top of the Group D points table, with 24 points in five matches with three wins and two draws.
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