Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Four Mumbai players test COVID-19-positive
In a massive blow to the Mumbai cricket team, a total of four players namely Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani, Prashant Solanki, and Sairaj Patil tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. The players came to know about the same when the side was waiting at the Mumbai airport to depart to Guwahati for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A Mumbai Cricket Association official confirmed the development.
The replacements will be announced soon
All four players were sent home from the airport. They have been told to self-isolate for seven days. It is understood that all of them have been practising at the Wankhede Stadium. Their replacements will be announced soon.
An MCA official opened up on the development
"This is the reality of the times. We cannot avoid COVID-19 even after taking best possible measures. The mandatory RT-PCR test was done a day before and the players were told not to go to the airport if any one of them is positive. But they still went. On seeing the positive report, they were sent back from the airport," an official said.
Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Mumbai cricket team
India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead Mumbai in the impending Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw was named the vice-captain of the side. The MCA had announced the squad earlier this month. India's domestic T20 championship will begin on November 4. Notably, the players are required to undergo a five-day pre-tournament quarantine before it gets underway.
SMAT 2021/22: A look at the details
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be underway on November 4. Mumbai, who are placed in Group B, will play their opener against Karnataka. They will then face Services, Bengal, Chattisgarh, and Baroda. Notably, Mumbai are yet to win their maiden SMAT title. They finished with only a solitary win in the previous edition. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu went on to win the tournament.
Mumbai's squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Mumbai's squad for SMAT: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Prithvi Shaw (vice-captain), Aditya Tare, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande, Atharva Ankolekar, Dhaval Kulkarni, Hardik Tamore, Mohit Awasthi, Siddhesh Lad, Aman Khan, Arman Jaffer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tanush Kotian, Deepak Shetty, and Roystan Dias
