All-rounder Shivam Dube has been excluded from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad ahead of their tournament opener against Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday due to back stiffness, reported ESPNCricinfo on Tuesday.
Dube flew back home from Srinagar on Tuesday, with the move considered precautionary as he is an integral part of the T20I squad, which will play in Australia after the ODI leg ends on October 23. The series will feature five matches.
Shivam had an impressive Asia Cup, where skipper Suryakumar Yadav regularly used him as a bowler, resulting in him taking five wickets. In the finals, he bowled a tight three-over spell, conceding only 23 runs, and also scored a crucial 33-run cameo to help India chase 147 against Pakistan in a tense match.
Mumbai will be welcoming back all-rounder Musheer Khan, who missed last season due to a road accident that caused neck and collar bone injuries. Dube will have to delay his Ranji return until after the Australia tour.
Additionally, Sarfaraz Khan is back in the squad after missing the West Indies series at home due to a quadriceps injury. Mumbai will be led by Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who has taken over from Ajinkya Rahane, who stepped down before the season started.
Rahane has been preparing for the season since July, stating on the Sky Sports Podcast that he had his kit bag in the UK while on a broadcasting assignment for the tour of England.
Mumbai, last year’s runners-up and 42-time winners, are part of Group D alongside Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Delhi, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. In their match against Jammu and Kashmir last year, Mumbai suffered a surprising five-wicket loss at the Bandra Kurla Complex Grounds.
