Yashasvi Jaiswal ruled out of red-ball tournament; replacement announced

Yashasvi Jaiswal to miss the remaining Ranji Trophy matches [Source: AFP]

Mumbai’s journey in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season has suffered a major setback ahead of the second half of the tournament. As the competition resumes on January 22, the team will be without two of its most experienced and important players. 

Star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and former captain Ajinkya Rahane will both miss the remaining matches of the season. Notably, their absence will significantly weaken Mumbai’s batting strength at a very crucial stage of the tournament.

Yashasvi Jaiswal to miss the remaining Ranji Trophy matches

Most importantly, Yashasvi Jaiswal will not be available for Mumbai for the rest of the Ranji Trophy season. The 24-year-old left-handed batter is currently one of India’s top Test players and has been in excellent form. 

“Both Rahane and Jaiswal are not available for the remaining two matches of the Ranji Trophy season," a senior MCA official was quoted as saying by PTI on Saturday.

Notably, Jaiswal's last appearance for Mumbai in this season’s Ranji Trophy came against Rajasthan in Jaipur from November 1 to 4, 2025.

In that match, which ended in a draw, Jaiswal showed his class with the bat. He scored 67 runs in the first innings and followed it up with a brilliant 156 runs in the second innings. Therefore, his absence will leave a big gap at the top of Mumbai’s batting order. 

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Mumbai batter is busy with international duties. He is currently part of India’s One Day International (ODI) squad for the ongoing series against New Zealand. However, he has not been selected for the T20I squad for the five-match series or for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Ajinkya Rahane also unavailable for the Ranji Trophy

Along with Jaiswal, Mumbai will also miss the services of senior batter Ajinkya Rahane. According to a senior official from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Rahane will not be available for the remaining two Ranji Trophy matches due to personal reasons.

“Rahane will not be available due to personal reasons," the official said.

The 37-year-old had stepped down as Mumbai’s captain before the start of the 2025–26 season. His last Ranji Trophy appearance was a home match against Himachal Pradesh in November 2025. Although Rahane played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, he did not feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Mumbai were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Karnataka.

Mumbai add two new names to Ranji Trophy squad

Looking ahead, Mumbai will face Hyderabad in an away match from January 22 to 25. After that, they will return home to play Delhi from January 29 in their final league match of the season. With two key batters missing, these matches will be a tough test for the team.

To strengthen the squad, Mumbai have added Suved Parkar and Sairaj Patil to the team. However, the final squad list is still awaited for the tournament.