Irani Cup 2024: Mumbai vs Rest of India Clash Set to Begin in Lucknow

The much-anticipated Irani Cup 2024, a five-day red-ball cricket match, is set to begin at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow from October 1. This year, the domestic champions Mumbai will face the Rest of India (RoI) team in what promises to be an exciting contest.

Mumbai qualified for the tournament after clinching their 42nd Ranji Trophy title last season. The Irani Cup typically pits the Ranji Trophy champions against a star-studded RoI lineup, with the winner or the team with the first innings lead claiming the coveted trophy, should the match end in a draw.

The Rest of India squad will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, with notable players including Dhruv Jurel, Yash Dayal, and Prasidh Krishna. Jurel, who is part of the Indian Test team, is set to boost the RoI squad. Prasidh Krishna, returning to first-class cricket following an injury, recently made waves with a significant 3/50 spell in the Duleep Trophy.

On the Mumbai side, Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, and Tanush Kotian are key players slated to contribute. Kotian, a standout performer from the previous season, was the Player of the Series in the Ranji Trophy, accumulating 29 wickets and scoring 502 runs across ten matches. His all-around performance was instrumental in Mumbai’s championship win.

The Irani Cup 2023 saw the Rest of India team overpower Saurashtra, the previous Ranji Trophy champions, by a margin of 175 runs in Rajkot. Fans are eager to see whether the RoI team can replicate their success against Mumbai, who will be keen to assert their dominance once again.

The match will be broadcast live on the Sports 18 Khel TV channel in India, with live streaming available on Jio Cinema. The game is scheduled to commence at 9:30 AM IST, providing cricket enthusiasts with an engaging viewing experience.

The full squads for the match are as follows: The Rest of India team includes Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-captain), B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, and Rahul Chahar. Mumbai’s team features Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wicketkeeper), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wicketkeeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohammad Juned Khan, and Royston Dias.