India's Asia Cup 2025 hero withdraws from Mumbai’s Ranji opener due to back stiffness

India's Asia Cup 2025 winning all-rounder Shivam Dube has been ruled out of Mumbai's 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season opener against Jammu & Kashmir due to back stiffness. The Ranji Trophy clash between Mumbai and Jammu & Kashmir is scheduled to start from October 15 at Sher-I-Kashmir Cricket Stadium. Dube's decision came as a precaution, coming just ahead of the match, with Dube returning to Mumbai from Srinagar. 

Why Dube to miss Ranji opener?

The move is primarily aimed at managing Dube's workload as he was included in India's T20I squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, which is scheduled to start from October 29. 

Dube's role in Asia Cup 2025

Dube played a crucial role in India's Asia Cup 2025 campaign as the skipper Suryakumar Yadav frequently relied on him as a key bowling option. In the high-pressure tournament decider against Pakistan, Dube delivered a crucial all-round performance - opening the bowling in the absence of Hardik Pandya and conceding just 23 runs in three overs, followed by a match-winning 33 off 22 balls to guide India to a thrilling victory.

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When will Dube play Ranji for Mumbai?

However, Dube will feature in the Ranji Trophy 2025 after the Australia tour, Mumbai have received a boost with the return of Musheer Khan, who missed last season due to a neck and collarbone injury sustained in a road accident. His older brother, Sarfaraz Khan, is also fit again after being sidelined from India's Test series against the West Indies due to a quadriceps injury.

Who will lead Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2025-26?

Veteran all-rounder Shardul Thakur will lead Mumbai in the upcoming season, replacing Ajinkya Rahane as captain. Rahane remains an integral part of the squad and has been in intense preparation since July, even training during his media stint in the UK while India toured for Tests.

Mumbai, last season’s runners-up, are placed in Group D, alongside Jammu & Kashmir, Hyderabad, Delhi, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. 

Mumbai Ranji squad

Shardul Thakur (c), Ayush Mhatre, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Siddhesh Lad, Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Sylvester D’Souza, Irfan Umair, Musheer Khan, Akhil Herwadkar, Royston Dias