Mumbai await NCA clearance for Shardul Thakur for the latter portion of Ranji Trophy group stage - Reports 

Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur sustained an ankle injury during the recent tour of South Africa, and as a result, was not present in the squad for the ongoing Tests against England. He has also been sidelined from the Ranji Trophy, where he has not been able to play for Mumbai in the 2024 season.

The all-rounder was dropped after the innings defeat against South Africa in Centurion on December 2023, paving the way for both Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna to feature. Mumbai were keen for him to feature in their third group stage game against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram from January 19 onwards. However, the player was not cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

As Mumbai gear up for their fifth group game against Bengal, the situation more or less remains the same, as they await the Return to Play (RTP) clearance from the NCA.

“Shardul Thakur had some issue in his ankle and he was advised two-week rest by the National Cricket Academy. He was in Bengaluru for further assessment and future course of action and is likely to be available for selection soon,” Mumbai chief selector Raju Kulkarni said

“We are still waiting for NCA’s Return to Play (RTP) report on Shardul Thakur. We need to follow the procedure and the moment the report comes, we will have clearance to pick him up for the Ranji Trophy. For now, we have made the necessary provisions and will pick him up only when the report comes from the NCA. We are hopeful to get the RTP before our sixth round game,” Kulkarni added

Mumbai's sixth round game is scheduled to be played against Chhatisgarh at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur from February 9 onwards.

Shardul Thakur played a couple of matches for Mumbai during the Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign

The all-rounder last turned out for Mumbai after the 2023 ODI World Cup. He played a couple of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, against Saurashtra and Tripura respectively.

Thakur was recently re-acquired by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for ₹ 4 crore during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction. His performances in the tournament will play a big role in determining whether he will be able to seal a spot in Team India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

As far as Mumbai are concerned, they made a strong start to the 2024 Ranji Trophy campaign, kickstarting with a win over Bihar away from home. After three successive wins, they suffered a narrow two-wicket loss at the hands of Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium.