Shreyas Iyer likely to lead Mumbai in SMAT 2024, Suryakumar Yadav confirms availability

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As the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) looms on the horizon, Mumbai is set to witness a change in leadership in the upcoming T20 tournament.

Ajinkya Rahane, who has been leading Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, is set to be replaced by Shreyas Iyer for the domestic T20 tournament.

Rahane, who was captaining Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, will now play under Iyer's captaincy. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) believes Iyer is the ideal choice for leading the side in the shortest format.

"Iyer will lead the Mumbai T20 side for Syed Mushtaq Ali and Shaw too has been included. Rahane will be playing under Iyer's captaincy as MCA feels Iyer is the right choice for this format," a source was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

This decision comes as a notable development, particularly for Iyer, who was recently released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. The opportunity to captain Mumbai provides Iyer with a platform to showcase his leadership skills and reaffirm his T20 credentials. Iyer won the IPL title with KKR earlier this year and is one of the marquee players in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Another significant inclusion in the Mumbai squad is Prithvi Shaw, who faced setbacks earlier this year due to disciplinary and fitness issues. Shaw, dropped from the squad by MCA, is now set to make his return to competitive cricket.

Suryakumar Yadav to Feature in SMAT, Likely to Miss Opening Matches

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has also confirmed his participation in the tournament. However, reports suggest that he might miss the initial matches due to personal reasons. Suryakumar's eventual inclusion will further strengthen Mumbai's squad.

Mumbai Provisional Squad for SMAT 2024

Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Jay Bista, Shreeraj Gharat, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Ishan Mulchandani, Siddesh Lad, Hardik Tamore (wk), Aakash Anand (wk), Sairaj Patil, Akash Parkar, Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Sagar Chhabria, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester Dsouza, Royston Dias, Yogesh Patil, Harsh Tanna, Irfan Umair, Vinayak Bhoir, Krutik Hanagavadi, Shashank Attarde, Juned Khan