Several senior Mumbai players, including Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav, will miss at least the first two matches of the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, as selectors have opted to give opportunities to younger players.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube will also be unavailable for the opening fixtures, Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil confirmed.
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“Rohit, Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be part of the Mumbai squad for at least the first two matches as the selection panel wants to go ahead with a young side,” Patil told PTI.
Patil added that Jaiswal is currently undergoing treatment for a stomach-related issue but is expected to recover soon.
“We felt it was important to give youngsters a chance. Whenever the senior players become available, they will be accommodated. For the first two matches, however, we are experimenting with young players,” he said.
The elite division of the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held from December 24 to January 8 across Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur and Bengaluru. The knockout stage will take place at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from January 12 to 18.
Mumbai have been drawn in Group C alongside Punjab, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh.
The 41-time champions will begin their campaign against Sikkim on the opening day of the tournament on December 24.
(By PTI Inputs)
