MUMBAI: In a major turnaround in fortunes for SKY, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Monday appointed India’s 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav as Mumbai skipper for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.TOI had exclusively reported in its November 5 edition that the veteran batter was set to be the white-ball captain 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.Speaking about his appointment as captain, Suryakumar said: “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.”On Monday morning, SKY captained a team against a side led by Sarfaraz Khan as Mumbai played an intra-squad practice match at the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India.On October 6, the 36-year-old batter was overlooked by the Mumbai selectors despite making himself available for the entire Ranji Trophy season. The reason cited was that he had not played enough red-ball cricket. Suryakumar recently turned out for MIG Cricket Club in the MCA President’s Cup ‘A’ and ‘B’ Division T20 tournament.SKY, who was dropped from the Indian team after the T20 World Cup following a poor run of form, last played a competitive match in the T20 Mumbai League in June. He will now look to score heavily for Mumbai in the SMAT in an attempt to stage a comeback to the Indian team.In another boost for Mumbai, senior all-rounder Shardul Thakur has returned to action after recovering from a middle-finger fracture that kept him out of the first leg of the Ranji Trophy. Meanwhile, Mumbai Ranji captain Siddhesh Lad has decided to skip the white-ball tournament. The 16-member Mumbai squad also includes India all-rounder Shivam Dube, while all-rounders 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.After recording outright wins in all their first four matches in the first leg of the Ranji Trophy, Mumbai are set to play their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy league matches in Kolkata from November 14.“The Mumbai senior selection committee (led by Rajesh Pawar) has decided that Surya will lead Mumbai in this season’s white-ball tournaments. Mumbai will play their practice matches for SMAT on Nov 7 and Nov 9. The Mumbai squad will be picked on Nov 9. The team will leave for Kolkata on Nov 11,” a source in the Mumbai Cricket Association told TOI.Elite Group D in the SMAT includes Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Vidarbha. Mumbai will play their opening match against Hyderabad on November 14.The squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Atharva Ankolekar, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Shams Mulani, Divyansh Saxena, Maxwell Swaminathan, Suved Parkar, Tushar Deshpande, Musheer Khan, Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Mohit Avasthi, Sairaj Patil, Sylvester Dsouza, Shivam Dube, Hardik Tamore (wk).
