IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals release 2 cricketers for Mumbai's Oman tour

Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals have released top-order batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal and all-rounder Shivam Dube for Mumbai's upcoming tour of Oman.

Both these cricketers have been named in the 14-member Mumbai squad that will tour Oman for a limited-overs series comprising three T20s followed by the same number of one-dayers.

Wake me up when September begins. 😍#IPL2021 | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPLFixtures pic.twitter.com/2CrGOCNtGO

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) July 25, 2021

Chairman of Mumbai's selection committee Salil Ankola had requested Rajasthan Royals to release them, with almost all first-choice cricketers unavailable due to ongoing England tour or IPL commitments.

Ankola confirmed that Yashasvi and Shivam will link up with Rajasthan Royals squad in the UAE after the Oman tour. Speaking to The Times of India, he said:

"The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) urged RR to release these players from their camp for this tour, and the franchise agreed in the interest of cricket. They will join RR in UAE after this tour."

The squad will undergo a one-day quarantine on arrival at Muscat before the matches begin. The T20s will take place on August 22, 24 and 26 while the 50-over games are scheduled on August 29, 31 and September 2.

The Mumbai squad has been training together for almost a month now, which also included a pep-talk session with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

It will be a good practice for Mumbai ahead of the domestic season: Salil Ankola

Mumbai, the defending champions in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will look to use these matches against Oman, who will be competing in the ICC T20 World Cup, as preparation for the upcoming domestic competitions.

#VijayHazareTrophyCHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/TyCw7zwLJy

— Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) (@MumbaiCricAssoc) March 14, 2021

Click here for the updated IPL 2021 points table.

Salil Ankola also highlighted that the tour will provide them with some practice games leading to the domestic tournaments.

"It’s good that Oman invited us for this tour. Due to rain, no cricket has been possible in Mumbai. This tour will give our boys good match practice. It will help us prepare for the limited overs leg of the domestic season,” said Ankola.

Meanwhile, this will also be Amol Mazumdar's first assignment as Mumbai head coach, having been given the top job earlier this year.

Mumbai squad: Shams Mulani (Captain), Aakarshit Gomel, Hardik Tamore, Arman Jaffer, Chimany Sutar, Shivam Dube, Aman Khan, Sujit Naik, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shashank Attarde, Mohit Avasthi, Sairaj Patil, Deepak Shetty, Dhrumil Matkar