Ajinkya Rahane, a star cricketer, has declared his decision to step down as captain of the Mumbai cricket team, effective immediately. Rahane has decided to step down from the leadership post, with the start of the domestic season approaching. The Ashwi-KD native believes that a new season would provide Mumbai the opportunity to train a new leader and ponder about the future. He will continue to play, however.
Notably, Rahane has been the team’s red-ball captain for the previous three domestic seasons, helping them win the title in 2023-24 when they defeated Vidarbha in the finals at the Wankhede Stadium. The team finished as semi-finalists last season, as Vidarbha avenged their loss in the previous edition.
Ajinkya Rahane was not at his best on an individual level, but his tactical brilliance as captain was impressive.
“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role,” Rahane posted on his official social media handle on Thursday, August 21.
“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai Cricket Association to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season,” he wrote further.
Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour.
With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role.
I remain fully committed to giving my best…
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) August 21, 2025
Shreyas Iyer emerges as one of the frontrunners
With him now gone as captain, three names that emerge as the frontrunners for the captaincy spot are Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, and Shams Mulani. Notably, Mulani has been the vice-captain for Mumbai over the last couple of seasons, and had led the side in Rahane’s absence. Meanwhile, Iyer is their limited-overs’ skipper, whereas, Shardul has been named the West Zone captain despite the former being named in the squad.
For Mumbai, the domestic season will start with the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, where they will face Jammu & Kashmir in their Round 1 match. They will also be facing Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Hyderabad and Delhi further in the competition. It will be interesting to see who is seen as a future leader by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
Rahane’s First-Class numbers speak volumes, with exactly 14,000 runs after 201 matches at an impressive average of 45.16. He has 41 hundreds and 59 half-centuries in red-ball cricket, and has also served as a key figure in Indian cricket when Virat Kohli captained the side in Tests. He had recently expressed his desire to play Test cricket once again, but that seems a distant dream at the moment.
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