Former Indian Skipper Named Mumbai Captain For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; Shardul Thakur Returns

Mumbai have named India’s 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav as skipper for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, putting the senior batter in charge of the side for a key white-ball campaign.

The appointment was announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association on Monday. Times of India had reported in its November 5 edition that Suryakumar was in line to lead Mumbai in white-ball cricket this season.

"The MCA is pleased to announce the Mumbai Senior Men's squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 competition. India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Mumbai side, bringing his vast international experience, leadership and explosive batting prowess to the team. The squad features a blend of experienced international and domestic players along with promising young talent, reflecting Mumbai's continued commitment to excellence and nurturing the next generation of cricketers," the MCA said in a statement.

"It is always a matter of immense pride to represent Mumbai. I am honoured to lead this talented group in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mumbai has a rich cricketing legacy and a winning culture, and we will look to uphold those traditions. We have a good mix of experienced players and exciting young talent, and I am confident that the team will come together, play with intensity and give its best in every match. Our aim is to go all the way and bring the trophy home," Suryakumar said about his appointment as captain.

Selection And comeback

On October 6, the 36-year-old batter was left out by Mumbai’s selectors even though he had made himself available for the full Ranji Trophy season. The reason given then was that he had not played enough red-ball cricket.

Suryakumar has since turned out for MIG Cricket Club in the MCA President’s Cup ‘A’ and ‘B’ Division T20 tournament. He lost his place in the Indian team after the T20 World Cup because of a lean run and last played a competitive game in the T20 Mumbai League in June. He will now aim to score heavily in the SMAT and force his way back into the Indian side.

Mumbai have other changes too. The 16-member squad includes India all-rounder Shivam Dube. Suryansh Shedge and Tanush Kotian will be away on India A duty for the ACC Rising Stars tournament in Doha from November 19 to 29, while Mumbai Ranji captain Siddhesh Lad has chosen to skip the white-ball tournament.

Shardul Thakur is back. The senior all-rounder has returned after recovering from a middle-finger fracture that ruled him out of the first leg of the Ranji Trophy.

Schedule And group

Mumbai have already begun preparations.

On Monday morning, Suryakumar led one side against a team captained by Sarfaraz Khan in an intra-squad practice game at the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India. The Mumbai senior selection committee is led by Rajesh Pawar and decided that Surya will captain Mumbai in this season’s white-ball tournaments, a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association told

The team’s schedule is set. Mumbai will play practice matches for the SMAT on November 7 and November 9. The squad will be picked on November 9 and the team will leave for Kolkata on November 11.

Mumbai head into the T20 tournament after outright wins in each of their first four matches in the opening leg of the Ranji Trophy. They will play their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy league games in Kolkata from November 14. Elite Group D has Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Vidarbha, with Mumbai opening against Hyderabad on November 14.

The 16-member squad is Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Atharva Ankolekar, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicket-keeper), Shams Mulani, Divyansh Saxena, Maxwell Swaminathan, Suved Parkar, Tushar Deshpande, Musheer Khan, Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Mohit Avasthi, Sairaj Patil, Sylvester Dsouza, Shivam Dube and Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper).