With a record 42 titles, Mumbai is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy history.
Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has opened up after his team failed to advance to the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 semi-finals following a four-wicket loss against Karnataka. The Devdutt Padikkal-led side will lock horns with Uttarakhand in the penultimate knockout, starting on February 15.
Despite a sub-par show with the willow in the first innings and an average display with the ball, the newly appointed skipper attributed their defeat to the poor fielding efforts. Notably, this is the second consecutive defeat of the side against Karnataka in a tournament knockout. Earlier, they had edged them out in the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 by 55 runs.
“I think we played good cricket this season and improved a lot from last year. But one area where we need major improvement, and it’s a big concern, is our fielding. Someone just told me we’ve dropped the most catches this season. That’s an unwanted record,” stated Shardul as quoted by Mumbai Mirror.
He also noted how the dropped chances cost Mumbai a semi-final berth. KL Rahul, who was given a lifeline thrice in the match, eventually ended up with a match-winning 130-run knock.
“I felt this was a totally defendable score. We dropped about five catches, including three off Rahul alone. That doesn’t help. This morning’s drop in the slips was a crucial moment-it could have turned the match completely in our favour. In knockout games against good teams, even half-chances need to be converted,” he added.
But amidst an underwhelming show on the field, Yashasvi Jaiswal caught the fans’ attention with two spectacular grabs. After a sharp catch to send back the opposition’s captain, Padikkal, he also pouched another excellent grab to put an end to a sublime innings of his Test opening partner, KL Rahul.
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After being sidelined from the VHT 2025-26 with a calf injury, the Mumbai skipper also missed some of the red-ball action since the resumption of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. But in his return to the side in an all-important knockout fixture, the all-rounder could not replicate his stellar form from the domestic one-day tournament.
Shardul was Mumbai’s highest wicket-taker in the league, snaring 11 scalps in five appearances at a miraculous economy of 3.40. But the skipper could not produce a similar performance in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final, as he managed only three wickets while conceding runs at an expensive economy rate of 5.63. The 34-year-old also could not make an impact in the side’s totals, returning with the scores of 16 and 1, respectively.
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