KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane steps down from leadership role: 'It's the right time to groom a new leader'

Veteran Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane announced his decision to step down as Mumbai's captain in domestic cricket through a social media post on Thursday. The 37-year-old batter, who led Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season, stated he wants to create opportunities for grooming new leadership while continuing his role as a player for the team across all formats."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 wrote on social media.Rahane, however, emphasised his commitment to continue playing for Mumbai, stating: "I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season."Under Rahane's leadership, Mumbai achieved significant success in domestic cricket, winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he emerged as the tournament's highest run-scorer. The team also reached the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy before losing to Vidarbha by 90 runs.Rahane holds a distinguished position in Mumbai cricket's history, ranking second in the all-time run-scorers list for Mumbai in first-class cricket, behind former India opener Wasim Jaffer. He has accumulated 5932 runs in 76 matches at an average of 52 and scored 19 centuries, second only to Jaffer's 29.His last competitive cricket appearance was in IPL 2025, where he scored 390 runs from 13 matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The team finished sixth in the season after winning the title under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy in the previous year.Mumbai has several potential candidates to take over the captaincy role, including established cricketers like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan. Both Iyer and Suryakumar bring significant leadership experience, with Iyer having led three IPL franchises and Suryakumar currently serving as India's T20I captain.The selection of Mumbai's next captain may be influenced by player availability throughout the season. With Jaiswal's involvement in Test cricket, the selectors might prefer appointing either Iyer or Suryakumar, who are currently not regular fixtures in the Test team.The situation at Kolkata Knight Riders remains uncertain, with reports suggesting the franchise might be exploring trades for players like KL Rahul and Sanju Samson, who could potentially assume leadership roles if required.