Suryakumar Yadav Left Out of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy Opener as Selectors Back Youth

Suryakumar Yadav's difficult year has taken another turn after the Mumbai selectors left the former India T20 captain out of the state's 16-member squad for the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season opener. The Mumbai Cricket Association announced the squad on Monday for the October 11–14 fixture against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium, opting for a youth-driven group led by new captain Siddhesh Lad and 19-year-old vice-captain Ayush Mhatre, who captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title earlier in 2026. The omission is striking because Suryakumar made himself available for the entire red-ball season. Chief selector Rajesh Pawar said the call came down to match practice: the 36-year-old has not played first-class cricket in around 18 months, since Mumbai's 2025 semi-final against Vidarbha in Nagpur, and the selectors want him to rebuild rhythm with some red-ball games before returning. "He is obviously a big-match player and a proven performer for Mumbai," Pawar said, keeping the door open for a comeback. The squad includes India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, while seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur misses at least the first two matches after fracturing his right middle finger in training. The decision underlines how far Suryakumar has fallen in just months: he captained India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title on home soil, then lost his place in the national T20 setup — and now cannot make his state's red-ball team.