Prithvi, Kuldeep to lead Mumbai, UP

NEW DELHI: Flamboyant opener Prithvi Shaw and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will lead Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh respectively in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.

The 22-year-old Shaw has ample captaincy experience. He was India's captain when they won the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. The batsman had also led Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare title in the last season. However, it will be the first time he will captain a side in first-class cricket.

Meanwhile, Arjun Tendulkar, the son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, has also been included in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad.

Arjun, the 22-year-old fast bowler, had broken into Mumbai's squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, and made his senior debut against Haryana, returning figures of 1 for 34 from three overs. He played one more game for Mumbai, turning out in their defeat against Puducherry.

Allrounder Shivam Dube, who has played one ODI and 13 T20Is, is also in the squad, as are Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Arman Jaffer and Aditya Tare. Dhawal Kulkarni will lead the bowling attack comprising Mohit Awasthi, Shams Mulani, Shashank Attarde and Roystan Dias.

Mumbai, the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, are placed in Elite Group C and will open their campaign against Maharashtra on January 13, before facing Delhi on January 20.

On the other hand, Kuleep, who will captain UP in the upcoming Ranji Trophy, is making a comeback after an injury. He has been missing from action since being ruled out of the second leg of IPL 2021 due to knee injury.

The Chinaman underwent knee surgery in September and was on the path of recovery at the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru. The selectors will keep an eye on his performance in Ranji Trophy and if does well, he can also make a return to the national side. IANS

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