Suryakumar's last first-class appearance dates back to early 2025.
India’s T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav was reportedly excluded from Mumbai’s 16-member Ranji Trophy squad due to his complete absence from the month-long pre-season training camp and a lack of recent red-ball game time.
Despite making himself available, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) selection committee, led by chief selector Rajesh Pawar, chose to ignore Suryakumar and prioritize younger prospects who actively participated in the extensive training routines.
According to news agency PTI, an MCA source confirmed that the batter entirely skipped the team's month-long conditioning camp at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and the BKC ground. Dropping a dedicated junior player to fit an absent senior "did not seem fair" to the committee.
"At the end, it is a team game. He does not have any immediate red-ball experience and everyone was unanimous in their decision on Suryakumar," the source said.
The report also claimed that Yadav was non-responsive when contacted around 10 days prior regarding his availability, and confirmed his intent at a later stage.
With his last first-class appearance dating back to early 2025, the MCA selection panel ultimately decided against picking Surya in Mumbai's 16-member side to face Chandigarh in their Ranji Trophy opener from October 11-14 at the Wankhede Stadium.
The doors remain open for Suryakumar Yadav's eventual return to red-ball cricket. The panel expects him to regain rhythm by playing MCA club cricket, such as the Police Shield or Purushottam Shield tournaments, before coming back into the side.
However, his standing in the white-ball setups remains strong, and he is tipped to lead Mumbai in the limited-overs formats for the 2026-27 domestic season if Shreyas Iyer is unavailable.
Meanwhile, veteran all-rounder Shardul Thakur is sidelined for at least a month and will miss the initial round of Ranji Trophy matches after sustaining an injury to his hand during a training session.
Siddhesh Lad has been named Mumbai’s captain this season. He was rewarded for a phenomenal previous season where he accumulated 774 runs at an average of 77.40, including 5 centuries.
Since India's premier international assignments allow a brief window, Test regulars Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan will provide massive boosts to Mumbai's batting depth for the opening clash.
(With PTI Inputs)