‘What have I done wrong?’ must be precisely what Shreyas Iyer is thinking. He was the best middle-order batter at the recent IPL 2025 and played a humongous part in India’s ODI World Cup 2023 and ODI Champions Trophy campaign. Still, he was overlooked and wasn’t considered in India’s squad for the Asia Cup squad. Now, his leadership abilities haven’t been considered by his state side either, with Shardul Thakur set to lead Mumbai after Ajinkya Rahane’s decision to quit captaincy.
Thakur to lead Mumbai, why not Iyer?
According to Indian Express, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has zeroed in on Thakur to replace Rahane as the next captain ahead of the new domestic season. Apparently, Thakur has already been chosen as the skipper of the West Zone team going into the Duleep Trophy 2025 that starts the new domestic season.
But one question lingers: Wasn’t Iyer the best option after Rahane? He is already the white-ball captain of Mumbai, leading across both the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). In fact, he led Mumbai to a SMAT victory last season. Also in the IPL, he is perhaps the most successful leader in last five years. He has taken the likes of Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the finals. We all remember how he guided the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL 2024 trophy.
Rahane, who will be playing his 19th first-class season this year, has been left out of the West Zone squad in Duleep Trophy. Instead, his Mumbai teammate Shardul Thakur has been named captain. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre has been named the captain of the Mumbai side in the ongoing Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament. Meanwhile, as for Thakur, he has been a central figure for Mumbai in recent times.
It was due to his fabulous performances in the Ranji Trophy that paved Thakur’s way to the Indian team in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He hammered 505, often bailing Mumbai out of precarious situations while also takin 35 wickets in 18 innings last season.
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