Veteran Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday announced his resignation as Mumbai's Ranji cricket team captain. He explained that the decision was made because he believed that the timing was ripe to develop a new leader.
"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 wrote on X.
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However, the 37-year-old stated unequivocally that he has no intention of retiring and will continue to play as a batter for the Mumbai squad in all formats.
"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," he added.
Rahane was the tournament's top run scorer and led Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the previous season. Mumbai advanced to the Ranji Trophy semifinals as well, however they were defeated by Vidharbha by 90 runs.
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Rahane trails former India opener Wasim Jaffer as the second-highest run scorer for Mumbai in first-class history. In 76 games, the right-hander has amassed 5932 runs at an average of 52. In first-class cricket, he also has 19 hundreds for Mumbai, which is second only to Jaffer's 29.
Rahane, 37, last participated in professional cricket in the 2025 Indian Premier League, where he scored 390 runs in 13 games for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Since Rahane has finally made the decision to step down as captain of Mumbai, it will be intriguing to watch if KKR chooses to replace Rahane before the upcoming season.
According to rumors, KKR is interested in acquiring well-known players like Sanju Samson and KL Rahul, who can assume the leadership position if necessary. After winning the championship the previous season under Shreyas Iyer's leadership, KKR finished sixth this year.
There are plenty of leaders in Mumbai's team. Their squad includes well-known cricketers including Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer. With the exception of Sarfaraz and Jaiswal, every other player boasts an outstanding captaincy record. Iyer has managed three IPL teams, and Suryakumar is India's current T20I captain.
The Mumbai selectors may be eager to name a skipper who is available for the most of the season given Jaiswal's participation in Test cricket. Since neither Iyer nor Surya are currently being considered for Test cricket, they would be perfect candidates to lead Mumbai cricket following Rahane's exit.
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