Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersRanji Trophy: 42-time champions Mumbai are not taking any team lightly
Every state side is well prepared, says Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad
Prefer HTon Google
When Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy captain Siddhesh Lad made his first-class debut in 2013 under Zaheer Khan, there used to be four-five title favourites. Among them would be Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Over the past 10 years, the 34-year-old Lad, who also played a season for Goa, has seen the level of competition change massively.
Starting with Gujarat’s title run in the 2016-17, many new champion teams have emerged. 2025-26 threw up the biggest surprise with Jammu & Kashmir winning. Vidarbha, who bagged their maiden title in 2017-18, lifted their third Ranji Trophy in 2024-25. In 2022-23, Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy for the second time in three seasons and it was after Madhya Pradesh won for the first time in 2021-22.
As the new edition starts on October 11, it is clear that no team can be taken lightly. Talking about how the competitive nature of the tournament has changed, the Mumbai captain said: “We never take any team lightly. We saw last season that Jammu and Kashmir won the Ranji Trophy. I don’t think a lot of people would have expected that. But nowadays, every association has good infrastructure. They have good off-season camps. They have good scouts. So, I don’t think we, as a Mumbai team, can take any team lightly”
“We just want to take one game at a time. And we want to focus on what we can control as a team, and not focus on what team we are playing or what team we are not.”
“Even when I went to play for Goa, there was competition because I think every team in India now has got a good team. Everyone is preparing really well. So, the competitiveness is always there when you are playing Ranji Trophy.”
Among the successful sides, Mumbai have maintained some consistency, winning in 2015-16 and 2023-24. As 42-time champions, Mumbai players have enough motivation. “When you play for Mumbai, there are some standards which are set by the players before you. That is the reason Mumbai are 42-time champions, and we want to continue the same brand of cricket,” said Lad.
The competition for places is so tough that the Mumbai selectors left out international Suryakumar Yadav for the first match, against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium here. “Surya has been a fantastic player for Mumbai. He’s done a lot for Mumbai cricket over the years and also for the Indian team. He’s a (T20) World Cup-winning captain. So, in our group, there’s tremendous respect for Surya. But also, whatever decisions have been taken by the management and the selectors, whatever they feel is right at this moment, as a captain, I want to respect it,” said Lad.
The reason Yadav missed out is because all the players, except the injured all-rounder Shardul Thakur, were available. Mumbai have a packed batting line-up with 19-year-old opening batter Ayush Mhatre, who is vice-captain, the prolific Khan brothers, Sarfaraz and Musheer, forming the middle-order along with skipper Lad, who aggregated 774 runs last season.
Mumbai's challenge is that they don’t have the same combination throughout the season, as some players are expected to be picked for national duty or India A matches. Which means Mumbai could need Suryakumar if Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz are selected for Tests.
“Obviously, whoever is in contention and preparing well for this season, they will always be in the conversation. But I don’t want to go beyond the selectors. It’s their job, and my job with the 15-member squad is to work with them,” said Lad.
Talking about the value of having one of the world’s top Test batters, Yashasvi, Lad said: “Yashasvi looks in a great space right now, and we are very happy to have him play. Someone like Yashasvi doesn’t only add performances, he adds value to the team with his experience.”
