Siddhesh Lad is set to take over as Mumbai’s captain for the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, replacing Shardul Thakur, who led the side through the previous domestic campaign.
The decision by the Mumbai Cricket Association’s senior selection committee is understood to have been made with workload management in mind, as selectors look to ease the demands on Shardul, particularly his bowling workload. Lad had already stepped in as captain last season when Shardul was unavailable due to injury.
Shardul is expected to remain an important part of Mumbai’s plans, but the selectors are keen to avoid adding the demands of captaincy to the all-rounder’s workload. Mumbai is scheduled to play 10 league matches, with its Ranji campaign beginning against Chandigarh on October 11.
Lad enters the season in strong form with the bat. The right-hander was Mumbai’s leading run-scorer in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy and was subsequently named the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Best Senior Cricketer for the season.
The 34-year-old scored 774 runs in eight matches at an average of 77.40, including five centuries. He had also enjoyed a productive 2024-25 season, scoring 602 runs in seven matches.
Published on Sep 01, 2026
