Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday stepped down from his position as Mumbai captain ahead of the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, saying it is the right time to groom a new leader.
The 37-year-old, who has amassed 14,000 runs in 201 first-class matches, including 41 centuries, will continue to play as a batter in the team. The Ranji season begins on October 15, when Mumbai face off against Jammu and Kashmir in their opening game.
“Captaining and winning the championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour,” Rahane wrote on his ‘X’ account.
“With the new domestic season ahead, I believe it is the right time to groom a new leader, and hence, I have 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 MCA to help us win more trophies, looking forward to the season,” he added.
Under his captaincy, Mumbai clinched the Ranji Trophy title in the 2023–24 season with a victory over Vidarbha in the final
He also guided the team to triumph in the Irani Cup 2024–25, overcoming the Rest of India (ROI) side.
Before these red-ball achievements, he led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2022–23, cementing his reputation as one of the finest captains in Indian domestic cricket.
Rahane famously captained Team India to a historic Test series win in Australia in 2021.
Even though he does not seem to be on the national selectors’ radar anymore, he remains determined to make a national comeback.
He has donned the Test whites 85 times for India, with his last appearance coming against the West Indies back in July 2023. He has also featured in 90 ODIs and 20 T20 Internationals.
Shardul Thakur is the leading candidate to succeed Rahane in the Mumbai Ranji captaincy role. Interestingly, Thakur was recently named the West Zone captain for the Duleep Trophy, a squad which Rahane was left out from.
Rahane’s last competitive cricket involvement was during the 2025 Indian Premier League, where he captained Kolkata Knight Riders. It remains to be seen whether KKR will stick with their skipper next season.
Written with inputs from PTI
