Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Squad in Crisis? Rohit, SKY, Jaiswal All Missing as Shardul Thakur Takes Charge

Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Squad in Crisis? Rohit, SKY, Jaiswal All Missing as Shardul Thakur Takes Charge

The most decorated team in Indian domestic cricket just dropped a bombshell. The Mumbai Vijay Hazare squad for the 2025 season is missing nearly all its top India stars—including captain Rohit Sharma, explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav, rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal, and power-hitter Shivam Dube. Instead, it’s veteran all-rounder Shardul Thakur who will lead a side packed with fringe and emerging talent.

For a team that’s won the Vijay Hazare Trophy a record five times and produced legends like Tendulkar and Dravid, this feels like uncharted territory. Is this a strategic rest, a medical necessity, or a sign of deeper scheduling fatigue in Indian cricket? Let’s break it all down—because what’s happening in Mumbai’s camp reflects a bigger trend across the national setup.

Table of Contents

• Why Are Mumbai’s Stars Missing?
• The New Leader: Shardul Thakur Steps Up
• Who Makes the Cut? Key Players to Watch
• Impact on Mumbai’s Title Chances
• Broader Trends: Are Indian Cricketers Skipping Domestic Cricket?
• What This Means for Young Talent
• Conclusion: Rebuilding or Recharging?
• Sources

Why Are Mumbai’s Stars Missing?

The absences aren’t random—they’re a mix of injury, rest protocols, and international workload management.

• Rohit Sharma & Suryakumar Yadav: Both are on India’s central contract list (Grade A+) and are currently engaged in high-intensity international commitments. With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 around the corner , the BCCI and team management are prioritizing their fitness and recovery over domestic cricket.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal: The young opener is awaiting medical clearance following a back issue that sidelined him during India’s recent Test series . While he’s expected to return soon, he’s being kept out of the initial Vijay Hazare matches as a precaution.
• Shivam Dube: Though not injured, Dube has been a constant in India’s T20 and ODI squads. The selection committee has opted to give him a break to avoid burnout during a packed 2025 calendar.
• Ajinkya Rahane: The veteran will miss the opening fixtures due to a lingering hamstring niggle but could rejoin the squad later .

Mumbai’s chief selector clarified that player availability will dictate inclusions—not preference. “We respect national duty. If a player is with India or under medical observation, we plan accordingly,” he told the Times of India .

Mumbai Vijay Hazare squad Entrusts Leadership to Shardul Thakur

With the big guns out, the captain’s armband goes to Shardul Thakur—a shrewd choice. Thakur, a proven performer in both international and domestic cricket, brings aggression, tactical nous, and the ability to lead by example with bat and ball.

His leadership could be the perfect bridge between Mumbai’s legacy and its next generation. Thakur knows pressure. He’s bowled death overs in Cape Town and batted with a broken hand in the IPL. Now, he’s tasked with guiding a young side through one of India’s toughest domestic tournaments.

Who Makes the Cut? Key Players to Watch

While star power is missing, opportunity knocks loudly for others:

• Sarfaraz Khan: The gritty middle-order batter, long knocking on the India door, will be a senior figure in the batting lineup.
• Shams Mulani: A left-arm spinner with handy lower-order runs—critical in white-ball cricket.
• Yash Rathod & Juned Khan: Pace bowlers expected to shoulder the new-ball duties in the absence of national-level quicks.
• Angkrish Raghuvanshi: The teenager who lit up the U-19 World Cup could get his first major domestic assignment.

This squad is a golden chance for fringe players to stake a claim for IPL contracts or even national selection—especially with selectors watching closely ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Impact on Mumbai’s Title Chances

Let’s be honest: losing four top-order India batters is a massive blow. Mumbai’s strength has always been its depth in batting talent. Without Rohit’s experience, SKY’s 360-degree strokeplay, Jaiswal’s fearless aggression, and Dube’s finishing prowess, the batting order looks vulnerable against quality attacks from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, or Delhi.

However, domestic cricket is unpredictable. Mumbai’s legacy culture, combined with Thakur’s leadership and home advantage at the Wankhede and Brabourne Stadium, could still carry them far—if the young guns deliver under pressure.

Broader Trends: Are Indian Cricketers Skipping Domestic Cricket?

This isn’t just a Mumbai problem. Across India, centrally contracted players are increasingly absent from domestic tournaments. The BCCI now mandates that only players not in national squads must participate in Vijay Hazare and Ranji Trophy .

While this protects players from burnout, it raises concerns about the erosion of domestic cricket’s prestige. Fans pay to see stars, and young players lose the chance to learn from them in real-time. As former selector Saba Karim noted, “Domestic cricket must remain the heartbeat of Indian cricket—not just a backup stage.”

What This Means for Young Talent

For every setback, there’s a silver lining. This Mumbai Vijay Hazare squad is a launchpad.

With no superstars hogging the spotlight, emerging cricketers get uninterrupted game time, captaincy exposure, and media attention. In 2023, Ruturaj Gaikwad used the Vijay Hazare Trophy to force his way into the India ODI side. Who’s next? The stage is set.

Conclusion: Rebuilding or Recharging?

The absence of Rohit, SKY, Jaiswal, and Dube from Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare squad isn’t a sign of decline—it’s a strategic pause. The national team comes first, and rightly so. But this moment also tests Mumbai’s famed cricketing ecosystem: can it produce winners even without its icons?

Under Shardul Thakur’s guidance, this young squad has a chance to redefine what it means to wear the Mumbai blue. Whether they win the trophy or not, their performance will shape careers—and maybe even India’s future batting order.

Sources

• BCCI: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Preparation Guidelines
• Times of India: No Rohit, Yashasvi, SKY, Dube in Mumbai Squad
• ESPNcricinfo: India’s Player Workload Management Policy
• BCCI Domestic Cricket Regulations