Punjab Newsline, Health :
Replaces injured Shardul Thakur; Mumbai to face Himachal Pradesh tomorrow
Shreyas Iyer will now be seen leading the Mumbai cricket team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The decision comes after regular captain Shardul Thakur was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Mumbai will play their next match tomorrow against Himachal Pradesh in the domestic 50-over competition, where the team will take the field under Iyer’s leadership.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced the decision in an official statement issued on Monday. The association confirmed that Shreyas Iyer has been appointed captain of the Mumbai team for the remaining league matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Expressing confidence in the new skipper, the MCA stated that the team’s performance is expected to improve further under Iyer’s leadership, given his experience at both domestic and international levels.
Notably, Shreyas Iyer is set to make his return to competitive cricket after nearly three months. He had suffered an injury during the ODI series against Australia while fielding, sustaining a rib injury. Due to the severity of the injury, Iyer had to stay away from the game for an extended period and reportedly lost around six kilograms of body weight during his recovery phase.
Following the injury, Iyer underwent rehabilitation and training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). After completing his recovery process and regaining full fitness, he is now ready to return to the field. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will be an important tournament for Iyer, not only as a comeback platform but also in terms of proving his form and fitness ahead of future national selection considerations.
Mumbai will be hoping that Iyer’s presence strengthens the batting line-up, while his calm approach and tactical awareness as captain help the team perform consistently. All eyes will be on how Mumbai fares under his leadership when they take on Himachal Pradesh in their upcoming encounter.