Shreyas Iyer Takes Charge as Mumbai Captain for Vijay Hazare Trophy

Shreyas Iyer Steps Up as Captain

Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the captain of the Mumbai cricket team for the remainder of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, following the injury of regular captain Shardul Thakur.

Iyer is making his return to the field after a significant injury, having sustained a spleen laceration with internal bleeding during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney last October.

Mumbai's chief selector, Sanjay Patil, confirmed on Monday that Thakur is sidelined due to injury and has been advised to rest. He mentioned that players like Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav are available, and Iyer will lead the team for the upcoming matches.

Iyer, who is also the vice-captain for the Indian ODI team, is expected to be fit for the three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.

The subsequent ODIs against New Zealand are scheduled for January 14 in Rajkot and January 18 in Indore.

MCA secretary Dr. Unmesh Khanvilkar stated, "Shreyas Iyer will assume leadership duties in place of Shardul Thakur, who is currently unavailable due to his injury."

Iyer's first match as captain will be against Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, followed by a game against Punjab on January 8.

The knockout stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy will take place at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from January 12 to 18.