In a significant development for Mumbai cricket, veteran batsman and former India captain Ajinkya Rahane delivered a splendid century (103 retired out off 140 balls, including 12 fours and 2 sixes) to help his team secure a hard-fought draw against KSCA Secretary’s XI. This performance came during their final league match of the KSCA K Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rahane’s fluent innings was complemented by valuable contributions from other Mumbai players, including Pranav Kela (46 runs off 116 balls), Musheer Khan (a quick-fire 43 off 43 balls), Suved Parkar (36 off 49 balls), and Hardik Tamore (an unbeaten 34 off 30 balls). These efforts collectively propelled Mumbai to 270 for five wickets in 66.5 overs by the end of the four-day encounter.
This century marks a crucial return to form for the 37-year-old Rahane in red-ball cricket, especially after his decision to step down from Mumbai’s captaincy on August 21st. Earlier in the tournament, he had scored 26 runs in the first innings of this match and an impressive 66 in the opening game against Assam.
While Rahane’s resurgence is a positive sign, Mumbai’s overall pre-season preparations for the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy have been less than ideal. The team was eliminated from the KSCA tournament in the league stage after conceding a first-innings lead to the hosts. They also failed to reach the knockouts of the Buchi Babu Trophy, another key pre-season event.
It’s clear that the domestic heavyweights need to significantly sharpen their performance before their inaugural Ranji Trophy match of the season against Jammu & Kashmir, scheduled to begin on October 15th in Srinagar.
In the first innings against KSCA Secretary’s XI, Mumbai was bowled out for 182 in response to the hosts’ 280. India’s Test all-rounder and Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur provided the only substantial resistance, scoring a fighting 77 (96 balls, 7 fours, 4 sixes) from the No. 8 position, while Musheer Khan added 18 runs. Left-arm spinner Madhav Bajaj was the pick of the bowlers for KSCA Secretary’s XI, claiming five wickets for 61 runs.
KSCA Secretary’s XI declared their second innings at 429, largely thanks to an unbeaten 159 (352 balls, 17 fours, 3 sixes) from Druv P. For Mumbai, beyond Rahane and Thakur’s batting, the bowling unit saw commendable efforts from 26-year-old pacer Sylvester D’Souza, who took an impressive eight wickets across both innings (3-51 and 5-65), and fast bowler Tushar Deshpande, who bagged three wickets for 40 runs in the first innings. Shardul Thakur, with the ball, managed two wickets in the match (1-32 in the first innings and 1-20 in the second).
Brief Scores: KSCA Secretary’s XI 280 (Abhishek Ahlawat 52, Lochan Gowda 48, Dheeraj Gowda 45, Nikin Jose 37; Tushar Deshpande 3-40, Sylvester D’Souza 3-51) & 429 (Druv P 159 not out, Kruthik Krishna 77, Rajvir Wadhwa 57, Faizan Khan 53; Sylvester D’Souza 5-65) drew with Mumbai 182 (Shardul Thakur 77, Ajinkya Rahane 26; Madhav Bajaj 5-61) & 270-5 (Ajinkya Rahane retired out 103, Pranav Kela 46, Musheer Khan 43, Suved Parkar 36, Hardik Tamore 34 not out).