Ranji Trophy: Mumbai announces 16-member squad for must-win match against Meghalaya

Ranji Trophy: Mumbai announces 16-member squad for must-win match against Meghalaya

Defending champion Mumbai announced its 16-member squad, sans India stars Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, to take on Meghalaya in its must-win Ranji Trophy Elite Group A clash, starting here on Thursday.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Suryansh Shedge and Atharva Ankolekar have been called back.

Mumbai, which is coming off a five-wicket defeat against Jammu and Kashmir last week, will be without India stars Jaiswal, Iyer and Rohit, who all have joined the Indian team for the upcoming ODI series against England, starting on February 6.

These three players had featured in the sixth round game here at the BKC Ground, with Rohit and Jaiswal following the BCCI diktat to play domestic cricket regularly.

Iyer, on the other hand, has been a vital cog for Mumbai in domestic competitions across formats this year.

The trio is also a part of the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy next month.

Karsh Kothari, who also featured in Mumbai’s playing XI against Jammu and Kashmir, was not picked.

The defeat against Jammu and Kashmir has dented Mumbai’s title defence as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side will now be required to record a big victory — with a bonus point — against Meghalaya and hope that Baroda beats table-topper Jammu and Kashmir in its backyard.