Irani Cup: Rahane set to lead Mumbai, Sarfaraz could be released for tie

Ajinkya Rahane is all set to lead Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup game against Rest of India in Lucknow, which will also mark all-rounder Shardul Thakur's return to first-class cricket post surgery.

It is understood that all top players including Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are supposed to play the match.

However, as of now, there is no clarity whether Sarfaraz Khan, who is in the India squad, will be picked for the tie. The Kanpur Test against Bangladesh starts on September 27 and if Sarfaraz is not picked in the playing eleven, which could be the case, Mumbai Cricket Association might put in a request to let their premier batter play the Irani Cup.

The team will be announced tomorrow.

"Look, Sarfaraz is the only specialist middle-order batter in the squad. Dhruv Jurel is a keeper-batsman and Axar Patel is an all-rounder. What if there is a need for a concussion substitute? But yes, the Irani Cup starts on October 1 and travelling from Kanpur to Lucknow even on September 30 won't be a big deal if the Test match ends early," a BCCI source told PTI.

It is understood that Suryakumar Yadav , who is India's T20 skipper, and all-rounder Shivam Dube, both of whom are automatic picks in the Indian T20 squad, won't be playing the Irani Cup as they would have to report in Gwalior on October 3 for the T20I series starting October 6.