Ajinkya Rahane has stepped down as Mumbai captain ahead of the new domestic season
Rahane said that he wants a younger player to be groomed for the Mumbai captaincy role
18-year-old Ayush Mhatre is strongly linked to job, although the Mumbai Cricket Association has not named a successor
Ajinkya Rahane Steps Down As Mumbai Captain Ahead Of New Season
Former Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane previously led his team to the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 title, but has relinquished his role at 37 years of age
Summary
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane announced that he has stepped down as the captain of Mumbai ahead of the new domestic season in a social media post on Thursday, 21 August 2025. The cricketer, aged 37, said that his decision was based on a wish to see a younger player being groomed for the skipper’s role.
“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour,” Rahane posted on X. “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 as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai Cricket Association to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season,” he added.
Rahane has been a talismanic captain for Mumbai in recent years. The Maharashtra-native, who captains the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 title, bringing an end to a seven-year trophy drought.
Since that win, he continued to lead Mumbai to trophies, winning both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Irani Trophy in 2024-25. In the SMAT tournament, Rahane also shone as a batter, scoring 469 runs to top the run-scorer charts.
However, Rahane is now entering the twilight years of his career, with 2025-26 being his 19th first-class season. As a result, the former Indian national team batter has decided to call it quits on the captaincy role, instead choosing to focus on lengthening his batting career.
Who Will Succeed Ajinkya Rahane As Mumbai Captain?
Ever since Rahane broke the news, fans have been speculating on who will become the new skipper for Mumbai in the upcoming season. The team finished runners-up in the Ranji Trophy last year under Rahane, and the new captain will have the task of going one step further in his first season in charge.
As of now, the Mumbai Cricket Association has yet to name a permanent successor, but 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre has been one of the names strongly linked to the role. Despite his age, the opener has made a strong impression playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, and has been made Mumbai’s captain for the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament.
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Whether Mhatre is made the full-time skipper for the upcoming domestic season remains to be seen, but what remains certain is that Rahane will go down as one of the most successful skippers in Mumbai’s history.
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