{"id":619,"date":"2026-01-06T10:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T04:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=619"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:03:36","slug":"shreyas-iyer-to-lead-mumbai-vijay-hazare","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/shreyas-iyer-to-lead-mumbai-vijay-hazare\/","title":{"rendered":"Shreyas Iyer to Lead Mumbai in Vijay Hazare Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the captain of the Mumbai senior men\u2019s team for the remaining league matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025\u201326 season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision comes after all-rounder Shardul Thakur was ruled out of the domestic 50-over tournament due to an injury, prompting the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to make a leadership change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an official statement, the MCA confirmed the development, expressing confidence in Iyer\u2019s leadership abilities and experience at both domestic and international levels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The association stated that Iyer will lead the side in the remaining two league-stage matches, with his continuation beyond that dependent on fitness clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mumbai, currently placed second in Group C, is scheduled to face Himachal Pradesh on January 6 and Punjab on January 8, with both matches set to be played in Jaipur.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iyer is expected to captain the side in both encounters as Mumbai aim to secure qualification for the knockout stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 31-year-old right-hander is making his return to competitive cricket after a gap of over three months.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iyer last played in October during India\u2019s ODI <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/series\">series<\/a> against Australia, where he suffered a spleen injury while attempting to catch a ball in the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The injury required hospitalisation and surgery, ruling him out of cricketing action for several weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following his recovery, Iyer underwent an extensive rehabilitation program at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of his return-to-play protocol, he participated in match simulation and practice games at the Centre of Excellence earlier this month and reportedly came through the sessions without discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iyer has also been named in India\u2019s squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 11 in Baroda. However, his participation in the international series is subject to final fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;If he is cleared for international duty, Mumbai may need to appoint a new captain for the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches, which begin on January 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MCA praised Iyer\u2019s calm approach and tactical awareness, stating that his presence brings stability and leadership to the squad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Mumbai in a strong position in the group stage, Iyer\u2019s return and captaincy could prove crucial as the team looks to maintain momentum in the tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":620,"template":"","tags":[242,317],"ppma_author":[489],"class_list":["post-619","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-shreyas-iyer-injury-update","tag-vijay-hazare-trophy-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}