Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has announced that he will be stepping down as Mumbai captain ahead of the upcoming domestic season.

He announced his decision on social media, saying that it is time to groom a youngster. Under the leadership of Rahane, the Mumbai side won its first Ranji Trophy title in the 2023/24 season after a seven-year wait and went on to win the Irani Cup in the 2024/25 season.

“Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it’s the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I’ve decided not to continue in the captaincy role,” Rahane posted on X.

“I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with @MumbaiCricAssoc to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season.”

Rahane’s decision come after the major stakeholders of the men’s cricket setup had a meetup to chart out a roadmap for the season.

With Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain who has been appointed as the men’s cricket advisor, in attendance along with the senior selection committee members and Cricket Improvement Committee members, the captaincy issue was discussed.

Despite his impressive captaincy, Rahane struggled to score runs. In 2023/24 season, he had his worst Ranji season scoring only 214 runs in 13 innings at 17.83.

However, he had an impressive campaign at Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Shreyas Iyer at the helm where Rahane scored 467 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35.92.

With Shreyas Iyer likely to be unavailable for the whole season due to international commitments, the selectors are likely to hand captaincy to Shardul Thakur.

The all-rounder was recently announced as the captain of West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy. The other contenders include Shams Mulani, the vice-captain, and Siddhesh Lad, both of whom have led the team on previous occasions.