Mumbai announce squad for the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 opener against Tamil Nadu

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) selectors today announced the 15-member Mumbai squad for the first game of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 against Tamil Nadu to be played at Lahli cricket stadium in Rohtak, Haryana. One of the most notable selections is that of 17-year old middle-order batsman Armaan Jaffer who received his maiden call-up.

His inclusion wasn’t a surprise since the youngster impressed most with his batting in the Under-19 World Cup 2016 played in Bangladesh earlier this year and also justified his place in the Mumbai team when he was picked for the tour game against touring New Zealand team earlier this month.

Aditya Tare will continue to lead Mumbai after their title success in the previous season. The other prominent names in the squad include veteran Mumbai cricketer Abhishek Nayar, pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, Suryakumar Yadav and seamer Shradul Thakur.

Tare who also keeps wicket for his team had impressed most with his leadership skills along with his batting in the last season but wasn’t considered when the three squads were named for the Duleep Trophy 2016. He had expressed his disappointment but would definitely want to do better on the field than talk.

All that you need to know – Armaan Jaffer: The new kid on the block

Opener Kaustub Pawar who missed out from the team in the last couple of seasons had a good run for English club team Barrow CC in the Northern League and followed it up with a ton against New Zealand in the tour game to earn back his spot. 25-year old wicketkeeper-batsman Sufiyaan Shaikh who made his first-class debut against Jharkhand earlier this year is also a part of the squad.

Mumbai squad:

Aditya Tare (C/wk), Armaan Jaffer, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shradul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav, Nikhil Patil (Jr.), Kaustubh Pawar, Jay Bista, Akhil Herwadkar, Sufiyaan Shaikh, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr.), Tushar Deshpande, Vishaal Dhabolkar, Vijay Gohil.

The Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu game starts on October 6. After the opening game, the defending champions will lock horns with Baroda from October 13 in New Delhi.

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