Reports: Shreyas Iyer to lead Mumbai in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has reportedly named Shreyas Iyer as captain for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while also welcoming back Prithvi Shaw to the squad. The decision was made by the senior selection committee on Sunday, scheduled to begin on November 23.

According to an Indian Express report, the appointment to give the captaincy duties to Iyer is due to their impressive track record in the shortest format, particularly after guiding the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL trophy. With this, the current Ranji Trophy captain Ajinkya Rahane will play under Iyer's leadership.

The squad also sees the return of opener Shaw, who had previously been dropped from the Ranji Trophy setup due to fitness concerns. However, the squad will miss some key players due to injury concerns. All-rounder Shivam Dube, young Musheer Khan, and pace bowler Tushar Deshpande are still recovering and weren't considered for selection. Despite these absences, Mumbai's 28-member probable list for SMAT 2024, consists of considerable depth, featuring experienced players like Shardul Thakur and Shams Mulani.

The tournament point table places Mumbai in Group E, where they'll take on Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala, Nagaland, Services, and Andhra. Their campaign kicks off with a clash against neighbouring Goa, though the venue is yet to be confirmed.

The selection committee, led by chairman Sanjay Patil and including Ravi Thaker, Jeetendra Thackeray, Kiran Powar, and Vikrant Yeligeti, has also brought in wicketkeeping options Hardik Tamore and Aakash Anand. Young talent Ayush Mhatre, who impressed in his debut Ranji season, has also earned a spot among the probables.

Also Read: Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer included in Mumbai's probables for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Mumbai probables for SMAT 2024:

Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Jay Bista, Shreeraj Gharat, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Ishan Mulchandani, Siddesh Lad, Hardik Tamore (WK), Aakash Anand (WK), Sairaj Patil, Akash Parkar, Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Sagar Chhabria, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester Dsouza, Royston Dias, Yogesh Patil, Harsh Tanna, Irfan Umair, Vinayak Bhoir, Krutik Hanagavadi, Shashank Attarde, Juned Khan.