Siddhesh Lad respects decision to leave Suryakumar Yadav out of Mumbai Ranji squad
Lad backs the selectors' call to omit Suryakumar Yadav due to his lack of recent red-ball cricket despite the India captain making himself available.
Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad said he respects the selectors' decision to leave Suryakumar Yadav out of the team's opening Ranji Trophy fixture against Chandigarh. The India T20I captain's last first-class appearance was in February 2025, and selectors cited his lack of red-ball cricket over the past year-and-a-half. Suryakumar made himself available for the tournament but was omitted from the 15-member squad.
Lad acknowledged Suryakumar's contribution to Mumbai cricket over the years and his status as a World Cup-winning captain. He said there is tremendous respect for Suryakumar in the group but stressed that his responsibility is to work with the squad selected for the season. The door remains open for players who make a strong case for themselves.
Suryakumar is expected to feature in the President's Cup game on Sunday. Reports indicated he had entirely skipped pre-season training ahead of the MCA's squad announcement and was non-responsive when approached for selection ten days ago.
CricHubb Take
Suryakumar's omission shows that even a World Cup-winning India captain cannot bypass the domestic system's demand for consistent red-ball preparation.