Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant and Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma during a the practice session ahead of their IPL 2026 match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Sarfaraz Khan’s rediscovered run-scoring touch augurs well for Mumbai as it takes on Delhi in its last league match.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

File image of Milind Rege© X (Twitter)

Mumbai piled up a massive 585-run first-innings lead and made early inroads against Meghalaya, while Jammu and Kashmir grabbed a crucial 205-run advantage against Baroda in their Group A Ranji Trophy matches on Friday. Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane missed a century but maiden First-Class tons from Akash Anand (103) and Shams Mulani (100 not out), Siddhesh Lad’s 145 and fifties from Shardul Thakur (84) and Suryansh Shedge (61) powered the hosts to a massive 671 for seven declared in the first innings.

Meghalaya, who were shot out for 86 in the first innings, slipped to 27/2 at stumps on the second day with Thakur striking twice with the new ball, trailing by 558 runs as Mumbai took big strides towards a massive win to ensure qualification for the quarterfinals.

With a quarterfinal berth at stake, the defending champions opted for a no-risk approach by batting through the second day to push for an outright win.

The day, however, began on a disappointing note for the hosts when Rahane fell four runs short of his first century this season.

He edged one behind to Arpit Subhas off MD Nafees after being troubled on a few occasions.

Lad brought up his second century of the season, finishing with 145 off 250 balls with 17 fours and a six. Lad had himself to blame when he hit a innocuous delivery from Anish Charak (2/185) straight into the hands of Kishan Lyndoh at short midwicket.

“I never thought that I would be back playing for Mumbai again because we had won the Ranji Trophy last year and boys are doing really well. But I knew somewhere the opportunity will come and I have to be ready for that. Kudos to the support staff, they have really worked hard on me since June (last year),” Lad, who had left Mumbai for Goa earlier, told media after stumps.

“I had a talk with Omkar Salvi sir at the start of the season (as to) what my role will be, when will I get (an) opportunity? He made me ready for for this situation and I’m glad that it came off nice.” Lad said Meghalaya are a new team among the Elites in the Ranji Trophy and they will need time to find their feet.

“Yes, Meghalaya is a new team, they will take some time to get acclimatised to the teams which are playing since (many) years. They have the potential, but our coach and captain won’t let you take anyone lightly; you can’t take anyone lightly and you can’t take your place lightly in the team (as well),” he added.

The 196-run association between Rahane and Lad was followed by an 87-run stand between Lad and Anand for the fourth wicket and another 123 runs were added between Suryansh Shedge and Anand for the fifth wicket.

Thakur then produced a brutal 42-ball 84 with five sixes and nine fours while adding 156 runs for the seventh wicket from only 99 balls with Mulani.

Mumbai declared after Mulani scored his ton, reaching 100 not out from 86 balls.

In another Group A clash at Vadodara, J&K took control against Baroda, whom they had displaced from the top of the points table with a win over Mumbai last week.

J&K came up with a fine bowling display to dismiss Baroda for 166 and take an 80-run first-innings lead.

At stumps, J&K’s lead had swelled to 205 with opener Shubham Khajuria, who had earlier taken 3/47, reaching 67 not out off 115 balls.

In Cuttack, Odisha conceded a 19-run first-innings lead but reached 167 for three at stumps to be ahead by 148 runs against Services with Aashirwad Swain batting on 64.

In Solapur, Siddhesh Veer’s unbeaten 93 and Yash Kshirsagar’s 71 took Maharashtra to 235/3 against Tripura who were bowled out for 270 in the first innings.

A 15-year-old fan wrote a heartfelt note for India captain Rohit Sharma, who recently made his return to Ranji Trophy, playing in Mumbai’s shock defeat to Jammu and Kashmir at the Bandra Kurla Complex Ground. Rohit, who was making his first Ranji return after a decade’s absence, had a forgettable outing in the match as he managed just 31 runs across both the innings. Fans had gathered in huge numbers to watch Rohit’s homecoming, only for J&K to spoil the party.

However, a young fan had a special message for Rohit, after he failed to fire with the bat. Yathaarrt Chhabria, 15, called Rohit Sharma his favourite player in the letter, and labelled him as the “greatest batsman of all time”.

Read the complete letter here:

“To my idol, my favourite player and the greatest batsman of all time. I know I will be representing millions of others as I say this, you are the reason I watch this beautiful sport and I am so lucky to be born in an era blessed to watch your elegant batting,” the fan wrote.

“Form is temporary, class is permanent. It doesn’t matter, even if you haven’t played a big innings recently; I can see that you are on the right track, and you will tear teams apart in the Champions Trophy. Your 3 sixes yesterday were amazing. I had to sit and watch the match while math class but it was worth it,” the fan wrote further.

“Haters will hate but your leadership is top notch. You are the best character on the field and you have succeeded as both, a player and captain in EVERY SINGLE FORMAT. I’ve followed you forever and watch every game just for you. Please just never retire, I can’t imagine how I’d turn on the TV and feel if I dont see you walking out to open the innings,” wrote the fan.

Rohit Sharma recieved a beautiful letter from a 15-year-old fan after the Ranji trophy match pic.twitter.com/bXYHalo1LH

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 26, 2025

“I am a 15-year-old, well-spoken, and passionate boy. My dream is to be a sports analyst and I have even completed an internship in association with Rajasthan Royals. If you could help me out in any way please do let me know. I love you, Rohit, and I know you will return to the best of your abilities very, very soon,” the fan said further.

Mumbai:

Devotees wearing short skirts or revealing clothes will not be allowed in the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai from next week, as per a dress code announced on Tuesday.

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust (SSGTT) said devotees would have to wear decent and body-covering clothes, preferably decent Indian attire. Starting next week, devotees wearing revealing or inappropriate attire will not be allowed to enter the temple situated in the Prabhadevi area, the SSGTT said.

The Trust said the dress code decision followed several complaints regarding inappropriate clothing causing discomfort to other devotees.

“Devotees wearing trousers with cuts or torn fabric, short skirts, or clothing that exposes body parts will not be permitted inside the temple,” the order stated.

The Trust said the temple attracts thousands of devotees daily from across the country and that many visitors had expressed concerns about attire that they felt was disrespectful in a place of worship.

“After receiving repeated requests, the temple trust decided to implement the dress code to preserve the sanctity of the temple,” it said.

The Trust clarified that the dress code is being introduced to ensure that all devotees feel comfortable during their visit and to maintain decorum within the temple premises. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rohit Sharma‘s return to Ranji Trophy met absolute disappointment as the India Test skipper aggregated just 31 runs in two innings against Jammu & Kashmir. Rohit showed his attacking approach throughout the match, looking to take bowlers on, but the intent didn’t reap the rewards Rohit intended, with his scores in the two innings reading only 3 and 28. Be it his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, or other senior stars like Shreyas Iyer or Ajinkya Rahane, none of these big-name batters produced runs as Mumbai suffered an upsetting defeat against J&K.

It was another veteran star, Shardul Thakur, who set the stage on fire with a ton, though his score couldn’t rescue Mumbai. As questions arose about the performances of senior stars like Rohit, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar asked some tough questions, taking a direct swipe at the attacking approach shown by the Hitman and others.

“Only Shardul Thakur, batting down the order, showed the gumption and desire to stick it out. But for his batting in both innings, the Mumbai score would have been embarrassing for a side filled with four Indian Test players in their top five. What Thakur and Tanush Kotian showed with their big partnership is that with a proper mix of caution and aggression, runs could be scored on the surface. The J&K batters also showed the same attitude and thus overhauled the target quite comfortably,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

“The dismissal of Mumbai’s Test batters once again brought to the fore the perils of the all-out aggressive mode of batting that is nowadays thought of as being central to run-making. It can work on flat pitches, but on pitches where the ball is doing something, there has to be a technique good enough to keep out the good delivery,” Gavaskar added, asking some tough questions to Rohit and others.

It was the diktat from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that forced senior stars like Rohit, Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, etc. to return to Ranji Trophy. Gavaskar, however, isn’t sure if the players played with all their heart or only in the bid to prevent their central contracts being taken away.

“The BCCI and the coach’s insistence on the Indian players playing in the Ranji Trophy meant that most of the players who were on the disastrous tour of Australia turned up for their State teams in the Ranji Trophy.

“Whether their hearts were in it or they did that only to ensure they were not stripped of their BCCI contracts, like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were, after missing out on the Ranji Trophy games last year, is known only to them,” Gavaskar wondered.

Rohit and Jaiswal’s inclusion in the Mumbai team meant that a talented youngster like Ayush Mhatre, who scored a century in the last game, couldn’t retain his place in the team. Gavaskar, however, didn’t feel too bad for the teenager, suggesting he must have learned something from Rohit and others by just sharing the dressing room with them.

“Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s participation meant that Ayush Mhatre, who had got a couple of hundreds and some fifties, had to be left out of the Mumbai side. Hopefully, the youngster would have spent some time with both these players and picked their brains about adding to his batting ability,” he wrote.

Rohit Sharma, along with several other top India stars like Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, made a return to Ranji Trophy after a considerable gap last week. The decision to play the Ranji Trophy matches, for their respective state teams, came after BCCI’s directive that domestic cricket is a must. However, Rohit Sharma’s return in the match against Jammu and Kashmir was not memorable. He failed to score big and Mumbai lost the match. 

Now, according to a report in Times of India, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer will miss defending Ranji Trophy champion Mumbai’s final group-stage clash against Meghalaya starting Thursday. All three players featured in the sixth round of the Elite Group A match for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sharad Pawar Academy Ground in BKC, where the visitors recorded a commanding five-wicket victory. However, none of Mumbai’s India stars, except for Shardul Thakur who scored brilliant knocks of 51 and 119, managed to make a significant impact, as a disciplined Jammu and Kashmir side kept chipping away to wrap up the game inside three days.

The report also said that there is a chance that on February 2 (which will be the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy match), Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are supposed to join the Indian cricket team camp ahead of the ODI series against England starting February 6. 

   

“Rohit, Jaiswal and Iyer are all likely to attend the BCCI’s Naman Annual awards in Mumbai on February 1. Next day (February 2), they are supposed to report for a short camp to Nagpur before the three-match ODI series against England,” the report quoted a source as saying. 

Rohit, Jaiswal, and Iyer are all part of the Indian ODI squad for the series against England, scheduled for February 6, 9, and 12, followed by the Champions Trophy. For 23-year-old Jaiswal, this will be his maiden call-up to the national side for ODI cricket A source in the Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed the unavailability of the three players, including Iyer.

“He will join the Indian team,” the source said. The Indian team is currently engaged in a five-match T20I series, leading 2-0, and Iyer will join his teammates to prepare for the upcoming ODIs. 

The defeat to Jammu and Kashmir has severely dented the hopes of Mumbai, led by Ajinkya Rahane, of advancing to the quarter-finals. Mumbai will now need to beat Meghalaya by a big margin and hope for favorable results in other matches to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

With PTI inputs

Star batter Rohit Sharma was seen giving a pep talk to his teammates after Mumbai set Jammu and Kashmir a target of 205 on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match on Saturday. The Indian team captain is not leading Mumbai, with full-time captain Ajinkya Rahane in charge. However, ahead of the start of the final innings at the Bandra Kurla Complex Ground, it was Rohit who was seen addressing the team during a huddle. A video of the same has gone viral on social media.

Rohit Sharma giving Pep Talk to Mumbai team ahead of defending 205 runs at BKC.

pic.twitter.com/FEmRJduafX

— Rohan (@rohann__18) January 25, 2025

Rohit failed in both innings of the match, managing scores of three and 28, respectively. 

J&K secured an 84-run lead in the first innings in reply to Mumbai’s 120. J-K scored 206 in their first innings, with Shubham Khajuria (53 in 75 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Abid Mushtaq (44 in 37 balls, with six fours and two sixes) playing standout knocks.

Mohit Avasthi (5/52) was the top bowler for Mumbai, with Shardul and Shams Mulani getting two scalps.

In their second innings, Rohit (28 in 35 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (26 in 51 balls, with four boundaries) started with a fine 54-run partnership but were soon reduced to 101/7 with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and Shivam Dube (0) continuing their flop show. 

However, Shardul, who had scored a valiant 51 in the first innings, went a step ahead, scoring 113* in 119 balls, with 17 fours and stitching a massive 173-run partnership with Tanush Kotian (58* in 119 balls, with six fours) to take Mumbai to 274/7, with a lead of 188 runs in their hand.

Chasing 205, J&K were 85/1 at Lunch on Day 3. Shubham Khajuriya and Vivrant Sharma were batting on 28 and 27 respectively.

For Mumbai, Avasthi was the lone wicket-taker, having got the wicket of Yawer Hassan (24).