Ajinkya Rahane with Mumbai during a Ranji Trophy match on February 21, 2025
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has stepped down as Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy captain to “groom a new leader” ahead of the upcoming season. He has, however, stressed that he will continue to don the team’s lion’s crest with pride.
“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 have decided not to continue in the captaincy role,” Rahane posted on social media.
“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.”
The Hindu understands that Rahane’s decision came the morning after major stakeholders of the men’s cricket setup had a meeting to chart out a roadmap for the season. With Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain who has been appointed as the men’s cricket advisor, in attendance along with the senior selection committee members and Cricket Improvement Committee members, the captaincy issue was discussed.
According to an MCA insider, a message may have been relayed to Rahane about the selection committee looking for a new captain and the veteran responded favourably.
Captaincy record
Under Rahane’s captaincy, Mumbai ended the eight-year Ranji Trophy title drought by lifting its 42nd title in 2023-24. The domestic powerhouse could not defend the title last season, losing to Vidarbha in the semifinal.
Despite his impressive captaincy, Rahane, the run-machine, struggled to get going in the whites. In 2023-24, he had his worst Ranji season with the willow, tallying 214 runs in 13 innings at 17.83.
In 2024-25, after having an exceptional Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Shreyas Iyer at the helm, Rahane scored 467 runs in 14 innings at 35.92.
With Rahane having stepped down as captain, he will be under pressure to justify his place in the team with a group of youngsters knocking on the selectors’ door. The Mumbai selectors, with Sanjay Patil as chairman, will have to look for a new captain, meanwhile.
With Shreyas Iyer likely to be unavailable for the whole season due to international commitments, the selectors are likely to hand over the reins to Shardul Thakur. The allrounder was recently announced as the West Zone captain for the Duleep Trophy. The other contenders include Shams Mulani, the vice-captain, and Siddhesh Lad, both of whom have led the team earlier.
The 2025-26 Ranji season begins in October.
Published – August 21, 2025 01:04 pm IST
