Defending Ranji Trophy champions, Mumbai, begin their 2024-25 campaign tomorrow. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side will face their last season’s semifinal opponent, Baroda, at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium. They won’t be at their best as Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande and Shivam Dube aren’t available. But it may turn out that weather could emerge as a bigger worry for them.
All four of these players played a major role in Mumbai winning the Ranji Trophy in 2023-24. But, as of now, Deshpande, Musheer and Dube are out with injuries, while Sarfaraz will travel with the Indian cricket team for the upcoming New Zealand Test series.
Rain Prediction in Vadodara – Baroda vs Mumbai match
The weather in Vadodara isn’t that great. There is at least 50% chance of rain on all four days of the match. The chances of a washout are high. We have already seen that despite several players missing out, Mumbai were still able to win the Irani Cup against a very strong Rest of India side which had the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Mukesh Kumar among others. Going against Krunal Pandya’s Baroda, they are still likely to win but rain could seriously ruin their chances.
| Date | Rain Chances (%) |
|---|---|
| October 11 | 50% |
| October 12 | 80% |
| October 13 | 70% |
| October 14 | 50% |
Rahane confident but not cocky
But Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane isn’t underestimating anyone. He feels no opponent is easy, and they must respect the game before their Ranji Trophy 2024-25 opener. “We are definitely ready for the title defence. But it’s a new season; I would like everyone to keep respecting the game, keep respecting the opponents, try and play consistent cricket, and be consistent on and off the field,” Rahane told Sportstar.
Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mumbai’s squad for first 2 matches
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Prithvi Shaw, Hardik Tamore (wk), Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Mohit Avasthi, Shardul Thakur, Siddhant Addhatrao (wk), Royston Dias, Himanshu Singh, Ayush Mhatre, Mohammad Juned Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Suryakumar Yadav (from 2nd match)
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