The Ranji Trophy season continues, with the knockout stages now in place, and several international players preparing for red-ball cricket, ahead of their international Test series. Mumbai will face Karnataka in the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy season. This will be a blockbuster clash with both teams showing superb form ahead of their match.
Mumbai have recalled two of their best cricketers ahead of their important clash which begins on February 6, captain Shardul Thakur is back in the team alongside left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The former missed two matches due to an injury he suffered while playing for Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Maharashtra in Jaipur on January 3, 2026.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is back after a long time
On the other hand, Jaiswal last played a competitive match on January 6, 2026 for Mumbai in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur. However, he missed the last two matches of the elite Ranji Trophy Group D against Hyderabad and Delhi with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) unhappy with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s decision to skip the last two matches of the group stage.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal last played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Rajasthan in Jaipur in the first week of November 2025 and scored 67 and 156 runs in two innings. Since then, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been absent from domestic red-ball cricket. The return of the first match will surely boost the team’s confidence.
Will Siddesh Lad shine against Karnataka?
Apart from him, star batter Siddhesh Lad is going through a purple patch as he has scored five centuries to his name in the current season. He will be crucial in the knockout match against Karnataka. Alongside him, star batter Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande are other players included in Mumbai’s squad for the quarter-final match.
Former Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane has not been dropped from the squad. The veteran Indian batter last featured in a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in Mumbai from November 8 to 10, 2025. In the match, he failed to impress, scoring only two runs.
Mumbai still finding their way against Karnataka
Mumbai did not lose a single match in the group stage, winning four and drawing three, and topped their group before advancing to the knockout stages. On the other hand, Karnataka lost one of their group matches, finishing second on the points table. They have a new captain, Devdutt Paddikal, who replaced Mayank Agarwal.
In the last five meetings between these two teams, Karnataka have had the upper hand, winning three and drawing two of the matches. This is their first meeting since 2020, when Karnataka won the match by 5 wickets. Mumbai will look to turn things around in this era, remembering their records.
The Bombay team:
Shardul Thakur (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Musheer Khan, Akhil Herwadkar, Siddesh Lad, Sarfaraz Khan, Aakash Anand (WK), Hardik Tamore (WK), Sairaj Patil, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasth, Omkar Tarmale, Divyesh Saxena and Suryansh Sheedge.
Read also: RCB star Devdutt Padikkal named Karnataka captain as KL Rahul returns for Ranji Trophy
