Veteran Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane wants to give up captaincy for Mumbai ahead of of the new domestic season. The Mumbai cricketer, who has been leading the side for the last few years, believes that this is the right time to groom a new captain.
Rahane has lost out his place in the Indian Test and white-ball sides for some time now. In the meantime, he has been playing in the IPL besides leading Mumbai in domestic cricket. He was announced the captain for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2025 and he scored nearly 400 runs earlier this year in the IPL.
Ajinkya Rahane announced his decision to step down as Mumbai’s captain through a social media post. He has been in communication with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and he said that he wants to continue as a player.
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Decided Not To Continue Captaincy Role - Ajinkya Rahane
In his social media post, he also wrote that he remains committed to playing for Mumbai and serving the team as a batter across formats.
"Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it's the right time to groom a new leader. And hence I've decided not to continue in the captaincy role. I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with MCA to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season” Rahane wrote in a social media post.
Ajinkya Rahane has played a pivotal role as Mumbai captain. It was under his captaincy that Mumbai won the 42nd Ranji Trophy title in 2023-24. He also won the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy as captain and was also the tournament’s leading run-getter. Rahane is the second-highest run-getter for Mumbai after former India opener Wasim Jaffer. The right-hander has scored 5932 runs in 76 matches at an average of 52. He has also scored 19 centuries for Mumbai in first-class cricket, second only to Jaffer's 29.
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Still Want To Play Test Cricket - Rahane
Previously, while talking to Sky Sports during India’s tour to England, Ajinkya Rahane said that he still wishes to play Test cricket for India. He was a part of the playing XI that played the WTC 2023 final against Australia. Rahane’s last Test for India was against West Indies in July 2023.
"I still want to play Test cricket. I'm really passionate about playing Test cricket. I'm enjoying my cricket at the moment. For me, it's all about focusing on the controllable things. Frankly, I tried to have conversations with the selectors, but [there are] things as a player I cannot control. I got no response” Rahane had told Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton for Sky Sports.
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