Lad replaces Shardul as Mumbai captain for Ranji; Iyer or Suryakumar likely for white-ball captaincy

Seasoned middle-order batter Siddhesh Lad has replaced Shardul Thakur as Mumbai captain for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season and either Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side in white-ball domestic tournaments depending on their availability.

Thakur, 34, has been replaced to manage his workload since the Mumbai think tank aims to maximise his value as the premier 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 this year in July from all formats, had led Mumbai to their record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title win in 2023-24 with a compelling victory over Vidarbha in summit clash.

Mumbai will also be looking to maximise their leadership options in white-ball cricket, with the incumbent India T20I captain Shreyas 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 MCA said.

Iyer earlier replaced Suryakumar as the captain of the Indian T20I team, a few months after the latter guided the national side to their second consecutive and overall third title win in T20 World Cup in February this year.

Iyer, meanwhile, had also led Mumbai to Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy victory in 2024-25. Under Thakur, Mumbai had finished at the quarterfinal stage of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, losing to eventual runner-up Karnataka in the last-eight clash at home.