Suryakumar Yadav is set to return to first-class cricket, with the former India T20I captain confirming his availability for Mumbai in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, according to a report by the Times of India.
Yadav’s availability comes as Mumbai prepare to begin their 2026-27 Ranji Trophy campaign without former captain , who is expected to miss the opening matches of the season after sustaining a hand injury.
“Surya has confirmed his availability for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy to MCA president Ajinkya Naik,” a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) source was quoted as saying by Times of India.
From 86 first-class matches SKY has played so far, he has aggregated 5578 runs at an average of 42.33. This also includes 30 half-centuries and 14 centuries. , who led India to their third T20 World Cup title earlier this year, lost his captaincy to Shreyas Iyer soon after that and even fell out of favour in the side for the shortest format.
Yadav managed to score just 242 runs from nine matches at the 2026 T20 World Cup, with his standout performance being an unbeaten 84 in the tournament opener against USA.
The 36-year-old last played first-class cricket during Mumbai’s semifinal against Vidarbha in February 2025. Mumbai, however, went on to lose that match by 80 runs.
Shardul, on the other hand, sustained a hand injury recently, forcing him to miss the first few matches of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy season. Thakur had finished the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign with 13 wickets from six matches, while also scoring 130 runs.
“Shardul suffered a hand injury when he was struck by a ball that Ayush Mhatre drove towards him. The hand injury is likely to see him miss a few matches,” an MCA source told Times of India.
, who are in the Elite Group D of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, will get their campaign underway with a home match against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium on 11 October.
The presence of Suryakumar would give Mumbai another experienced option in the middle order as the side begins their campaign under new leadership.
