Aspect Sports has been awarded the operating rights for the Navi Mumbai franchise, the newest addition to the T20 Mumbai League, from the 2027 edition.

The franchise, which will take the league’s strength to nine teams, has been awarded for ₹106.88 crore for a six-year period, with the first season carrying a fee of ₹12.21 crore, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced on Wednesday.

It is understood that the average annual franchise fee of ₹17.81 crore is more than 50% of the highest fee than the existing eight franchises in the league.

The addition of Navi Mumbai is expected to expand the league’s footprint beyond its traditional Mumbai base and provide cricketers from the region with a pathway into the competition.

“The expansion of the T20 Mumbai League to Navi Mumbai is a significant milestone in our vision to take the game closer to every corner of the Mumbai cricketing ecosystem,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik said.

“The addition of a ninth franchise will not only broaden the league’s reach but also create greater opportunities for emerging cricketers to showcase their talent on a competitive platform.”

Rajdip Gupta, chairman of the T20 Mumbai League Governing Council, said the ninth franchise would help the league build a “stronger and more sustainable ecosystem” while creating greater value for its stakeholders.

Aspect Sports is owned by Aspect Global Ventures. Its executive chairperson Aksha Kamboj said the organisation viewed its association with the league as a step towards establishing a long-term presence across multiple sporting disciplines.

Twenty-two cricketers — 14 male and eight female — have been awarded annual contracts by the Mumbai Cricket Association. The MCA Apex Council has also constituted the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, in a bid to recognise the distinguished career of the former India captain who retired from all formats earlier this month.

The decisions were taken at the Apex Council meeting on Thursday (August 27, 2026), with the player contract system being introduced to provide financial support to Mumbai cricketers who are not centrally contracted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or part of its list of targeted players.

The contracted players have been divided into three grades, with Grade A players receiving ₹12 lakh annually, Grade B ₹8 lakh and Grade C ₹6 lakh.

Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani are the two men in Grade A, while Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand and Hardik Tamore have been placed in Grade B.

Eight players, including Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil and Himanshu Singh, form the Grade C list.

Among the women, Humairaa Kaazi and Vrushali Bhagat are the two Grade A players, while Sanika Chalke has been placed in Grade B. Five others, including Prakashika Naik and Fatima Jaffer are the Grade C players.

The MCA had announced earlier this year that it would initiate a player contract system for those outside the BCCI’s central contract and targeted-player structures. The move is aimed at providing greater recognition and financial security to players representing Mumbai.

The Apex Council also approved the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund in recognition of the former Mumbai captain’s journey from grassroots cricket to leading India in Test cricket. According to an MCA statement, the fund has received a contribution from former MCA president Sharad Pawar and will be used to support grassroots cricketers and the development of maidan cricket.

MCA president Ajinkya Naik said Rahane’s journey and achievements made him “an inspiration for young cricketers” and that the scholarship fund would help create greater opportunities at the grassroots. The Association also proposes to honour Rahane for his contribution to Mumbai and Indian cricket.

List of contracted cricketers for 2026-27

Men:

Grade A: Siddhesh Lad, Shams Mulani.

Grade B: Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand, Hardik Tamore

Grade C: Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil, Himanshu Singh, Jay Jain, Sumeir

Zaveri, Atharva Bhosle, Manan Bhat, Ayush Vartak.

Women:

Grade A: Humairaa Kaazi, Vrushali Bhagat.

Grade B: Sanika Chalke.

Grade C: Prakashika Naik, Zeal D’Mello, Fatima Jaffer, Sadhvi Sanjay, Kashish Nirmal.

Twenty-two cricketers — 14 male and eight female — have been awarded annual contracts by the Mumbai Cricket Association. The MCA Apex Council has also constituted the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, in a bid to recognise the distinguished career of the former India captain who retired from all formats earlier this month.

The decisions were taken at the Apex Council meeting on Thursday (August 27, 2026), with the player contract system being introduced to provide financial support to Mumbai cricketers who are not centrally contracted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or part of its list of targeted players.

The contracted players have been divided into three grades, with Grade A players receiving ₹12 lakh annually, Grade B ₹8 lakh and Grade C ₹6 lakh.

Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani are the two men in Grade A, while Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand and Hardik Tamore have been placed in Grade B.

Eight players, including Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil and Himanshu Singh, form the Grade C list.

Among the women, Humairaa Kaazi and Vrushali Bhagat are the two Grade A players, while Sanika Chalke has been placed in Grade B. Five others, including Prakashika Naik and Fatima Jaffer are the Grade C players.

The MCA had announced earlier this year that it would initiate a player contract system for those outside the BCCI’s central contract and targeted-player structures. The move is aimed at providing greater recognition and financial security to players representing Mumbai.

The Apex Council also approved the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund in recognition of the former Mumbai captain’s journey from grassroots cricket to leading India in Test cricket. According to an MCA statement, the fund has received a contribution from former MCA president Sharad Pawar and will be used to support grassroots cricketers and the development of maidan cricket.

MCA president Ajinkya Naik said Rahane’s journey and achievements made him “an inspiration for young cricketers” and that the scholarship fund would help create greater opportunities at the grassroots. The Association also proposes to honour Rahane for his contribution to Mumbai and Indian cricket.

List of contracted cricketers for 2026-27

Men:

Grade A: Siddhesh Lad, Shams Mulani.

Grade B: Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand, Hardik Tamore

Grade C: Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil, Himanshu Singh, Jay Jain, Sumeir

Zaveri, Atharva Bhosle, Manan Bhat, Ayush Vartak.

Women:

Grade A: Humairaa Kaazi, Vrushali Bhagat.

Grade B: Sanika Chalke.

Grade C: Prakashika Naik, Zeal D’Mello, Fatima Jaffer, Sadhvi Sanjay, Kashish Nirmal.

The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to conduct a fresh inspection of five eateries at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) premises, whose licences were suspended. The court issued the order while balancing the MCA’s claim of hygiene compliance against the FDA’s request for time to file a reply.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) ordered the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to re-inspect five eateries operating on the premises of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The inspection is to determine if the suspended FSSAI licences of these establishments can be revoked.

The FDA had suspended the licences of Permit Room, Oriental Swing, Clubway & Pastry Counter, Mediterranean, and Pavillion following surprise inspections at the Sharad Pawar Indoor Cricket Academy and Recreational Centre in BKC.

A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad heard the MCA’s petition. Senior advocate Vikram Nankani, representing the MCA, argued that the premises are now over 98% compliant with hygiene norms. He contended that the licence suspension should not continue.

Additional Government pleader Priyabhushan Kakade, appearing for the FDA, sought time to file an affidavit-in-reply, stating the petitions were served late. He also noted that the MCA has the option to appeal the suspension order before the FDA Chief.

The Bench granted time to the FDA but observed that if the petitioners are currently compliant with hygiene standards, they cannot be prevented from operating until the FDA Commissioner decides on their appeal. Acting Chief Justice Ghuge pointed out to the FDA counsel that the MCA’s compliance claim should be acknowledged, but the authority could not leave them waiting for the appeal process to conclude.

To balance the interests, the court ordered the FDA to re-inspect the premises on Thursday afternoon. The inspection report, along with the FDA’s affidavit indicating the hygiene compliance status, must be submitted on Monday (August 24, 2026) morning.

For tournaments organised by the MCA in the interim, the bench ordered the petitioners to serve only tea and coffee to participants, and these beverages must be dispensed from vending machines. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on August 31.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has invited bids for the right to operate a new franchise in the T20 Mumbai League, paving the way for the men’s competition to expand to nine teams.

The new franchise will represent Navi Mumbai, extending the league’s footprint beyond Mumbai and Thane, and potentially opening another avenue for cricketers from the MMR region.

The move comes less than two months after the completion of the fourth edition of the league in June. The season drew strong interest from spectators and produced competitive cricket, reinforcing the T20 Mumbai League’s position among India’s prominent franchise-based domestic T20 competitions.

The Navi Mumbai franchise will be the league’s first expansion since its inception, to feature nine teams, subject to the completion of the bidding process. League chairman Rajdip Gupta, during the 2026 edition, had stressed that the league will expand its footprint ahead of the 2027 edition.

Interested parties can collect the bid documents from the MCA office at the Cricket Centre, Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate, between August 10 and 25. The documents will be available between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on working days.

The bid documents will be issued against a non-refundable fee of ₹2.5 lakh, payable through a Demand Draft in favour of the Mumbai Cricket Association. Prospective bidders can also make the payment through bank transfer using the account details specified in the tender notice available on the MCA’s official website.

For Rajesh Pawar, the appointment as chairman of Mumbai’s senior men’s selection committee is both a recognition of years spent nurturing talent and a challenge he is eager to embrace.

“It is an honour but even more importantly, a huge responsibility,” Pawar told The Hindu after the Mumbai Cricket Association announced its selection panels for the 2026-27 season. “Along with all my colleagues, I will try my best in order to select the best possible winning combination that will hopefully bring more titles to Mumbai across formats.”

The former left-arm spinner replaces Sanjay Patil at the helm of the senior selection committee at a time when Mumbai is looking to bounce back from a trophy-less domestic season. Having won the Ranji Trophy in 2023-24 and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024-25 under coach Omkar Salvi, Mumbai could not add to its glittering trophy cabinet last season.

Pawar believes his prolonged association with Mumbai’s age-group structure will prove beneficial in his new role. “For most of the last five years, I have been involved in the U-23 coaching set-up, so I know all the promising players in Mumbai. The familiarity aspect will also come in handy for everyone,” he said.

It is that grounding in Mumbai’s talent pipeline that perhaps distinguishes Pawar’s candidature. A veteran of 83 First Class matches for Mumbai, Baroda and Andhra, besides appearances for West Zone and India A, Pawar seamlessly transitioned into coaching after retirement. He was rewarded when he guided Mumbai’s Under-23 side to the CK Nayudu Trophy title in the 2022-23 season, a campaign that showcased the depth of the city’s next generation.

More recently, Pawar served as head coach of Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the T20 Mumbai League, working closely with a squad led by India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav.

Among the MCA’s structural changes this season is the introduction of a dedicated Under-23 selection committee, a move Pawar has wholeheartedly endorsed.

“The Under-23 selection committee is an extremely welcome development. During my U-23 coaching set-up, we realised that for the senior selection committee to look after two teams is a huge challenge. It’s a good move to have separate selection committees in place for the senior and U-23 teams,” Pawar said.