India batter Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of Mumbai for the remainder of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Shreyas takes the reins from Shardul Thakur, who has been ruled out of the premier domestic 50-over tournament due to an injury.
"The MCA is pleased to announce that Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the Captain of the Mumbai senior men's team for the remaining league matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy," the association said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, Iyer is set to lead Mumbai in the rest of the two league stage matches on January 6 and 8. However, his participation in the VHT knockouts is not certain as Iyer has also been named in India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series. While announcing India's squad, BCCI had stated that Iyer's participation in the New Zealand ODIs is subject to fitness. The New Zealand ODIs will begin on January 11, while the VHT knockouts will take place from January 12-18.
If Iyer gets a clearance from the BCCI medical team to feature in the ODIs against New Zealand, he would not be able to play in the VHT knockouts. Mumbai will then have to appoint a different captain. "We will take a call once things are clear. Shreyas will lead the team in the remaining two league games," MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar said. Iyer has been out of competitive cricket since suffering a spleen injury during the third ODI between India and Australia in October last year. He picked up a horrific injury while trying to take a catch.
The outings in the VHT will be Iyer's first competitive appearances since his injury. Mumbai are currently placed second in Group C and are well positioned to advance to the next round. They will play their remaining league matches against Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday (January 6) and Punjab on January 8, with both fixtures scheduled to be held in Jaipur.
