The Chief selector of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team, Ajit Agarkar has stated that Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane will not be available for the opening fixture of Mumbai against Madhya Pradesh. Rahane has informed his unavailability as he is currently on a holiday.

Talking to the TOI, Agarkar said, “He’s informed us that he’s unavailable for selection for this game.”

Rahane’s absence will affect the Mumbai squad as they are looking to begin their campaign with a win and aim for a historic 42nd title. Under the leadership of Aditya Tare, Mumbai will also miss some crucial players in the opening fixture. Players like Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur are all set to miss as they are featuring in the India A side.

Earlier, in the finals of the last season, Mumbai failed to defeat Gujarat, thanks to Parthiv Patel’s magnificent 143.

Squad: Aditya Tare (Captain), Surya Kumar Yadav (Vice Captain), Abhishek Nayar, Akhil Herwadkar, Siddhesh Lad, Jay Bista, Sufiyan Shaikh, Vijay Gohil, Akash Parkar, Roystan Dias, Minad Manjrekar, Aditya Dhumal, Shivam Malhotra, Shubham Ranjane, Eknath Kerkar.