SMAT 2022: Ajinkya Rahane to lead Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw to serve as deputy

Indian Test captain and veteran Mumbai cricketer Ajinkya Rahane will lead a star-studded Mumbai squad in the forthcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. The 13th edition of the domestic T20 tournament will take place in India between November 4-22.

The Mumbai selection committee, headed by former Indian seamer Salil Ankola, picked a 20-man strong squad for the upcoming tournament on Monday [October 18].

While Rahane will lead the squad, blistering opening batter Prithvi Shaw will serve as his deputy. Stylish middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav is not part of the squad as he is on national duty at the T20 World Cup.

Young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal will likely spearhead the opening position alongside Shaw, while Sarfaraz Khan will serve as a middle to death overs dasher. Veteran stumper Aditya Tare has also found a place in the squad.

Mumbai, the reigning Vijay Hazare Trophy champions, will look to exorcize the demons of last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, where they finished with just a solitary win in five games.

Viren Rasquinha addressed Mumbai players on Monday

Former Indian Hockey skipper and Olympian Viren Rasquinha had a session with the Mumbai team on Monday where the champion athlete recounted the stories of India’s Olympians.

Rasquinha, who is the CEO of the Olympic Gold Quest [OGQ], later took to his official Twitter account where he wrote:

"Was great chatting with the Mumbai Ranji team as they embark on a new season. Thanks to my friends Nilesh Kulkarni, Amol Muzumdar, Mumbai Cricket Association for inviting me over to speak to the team & for presenting me with an autographed team jersey."

Mumbai head coach Amol Muzumdar went on to thank Rasquinha for sharing the stories and motivating young cricketers. He wrote:

"Viren they were goose bump moments to listen to the stories you shared about our Olympians. Athletes and mentors like you have made our country proud. May you hit upon a Mine in your quest for the Gold. Good wishes (sic)."

Mumbai will start their campaign against Karnataka in the Elite Group B fixture on November 04.

Mumbai's squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2022

Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Prithvi Shaw (Vice Captain), Sarfaraz Khan, Prashant Solanki, Shams Mulani, Atharva Ankolekar, Dhaval Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande, Hardik Tamore, Mohit Awasthi, Siddhesh Lad, Sairaj Patil, Aman Khan, Arman Jaffer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tanush Kotian, Deepak Shetty and Roystan Dias