Suryakumar Yadav to play for Mumbai in Buchi Babu Tournament

India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, will play for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu All-India Invitational Tournament, starting on August 15 in Chennai. According to a report in the Indian Express, SKY has confirmed his availability to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) selection committee chief Sanjay Patil but wants Sarfaraz Khan to continue to lead.

It’s being reported that SKY will play the Mumbai vs Jammu & Kashmir in Salem starting on August 27. “I will be playing Buchi Babu tournament. It will give me good practice session before the domestic season starts. I will join the team after 25th. I’m always available to play for Mumbai and the club team whenever I'm free,” Suryakumar told the Indian Express.

“He has informed us that he is available to play in the Buchi Babu tournament, and his name will be added to the Mumbai side. Surya has always turned up for Mumbai cricket whenever he is available. In fact, he is one of the few players who turn up for club matches in Mumbai maidans,” a source in the MCA confirmed.

The MCA, on August 4, announced the Mumbai squad for the red-ball tournament, which will serve as a preparation for the Ranji Trophy. Ajinkya Rahane, who led Mumbai to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title earlier this year, will miss the tournament. The 36-year-old is currently in England, playing for Leicestershire. 

Shams Mulani (undergoing rehab at NCA) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (stress fracture) will also miss the competition. Siddhesh Lad and Akhil Herwadkar, who have now returned back to Mumbai, are part of the squad. 

This is the first time Sarfaraz will be captaining Mumbai. “We had asked Surya and he suggested that Sarfaraz should continue to lead, and that he will play merely as a player,” a source added.

Suryakumar recently captained India to a 3-0 win in a T20I series in Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter, however, isn’t part of India’s ODI and Test set-up. India are not scheduled to play any cricket till the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19.

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