Shivam Dube Ruled Out of Mumbai’s Ranji Opener with Back Stiffness, Set to Return After Australia Tour

India’s Asia Cup 2025 winning all-rounder Shivam Dube has been ruled out of Mumbai’s first Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match against Jammu & Kashmir due to back stiffness. The match is set to begin on October 15 at the Sher-I-Kashmir Cricket Stadium.

Shivam Dube to Miss Mumbai’s Ranji Opener Due to Back Stiffness

Dube decided to skip the game as a precautionary measure and has returned to Mumbai from Srinagar just before the start of the match. 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. 

Shivam Dube played an important role in India’s Asia Cup 2025 win. Captain Suryakumar Yadav often trusted him as a key bowler. In the tense final against Pakistan, Dube stepped up in the absence of Hardik Pandya, he opened the bowling and gave away only 23 runs in three overs.

Mumbai boosted by return of key players ahead of Ranji Trophy 2025

Later, he scored a quick 33 runs off 22 balls to help India pull off a thrilling win. However, Dube is expected to play in the Ranji Trophy 2025 after returning from the Australia tour. Mumbai also got a big boost with Musheer Khan back in the squad.

He had missed the last season after suffering neck and collarbone injuries in a road accident. His elder brother, Sarfaraz Khan, is also fully fit now after recovering from a quadriceps injury that kept him out of India’s Test series against the West Indies. 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, who finished as runners-up last season, are in Group D along with 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

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