NEW DELHI: Mumbai's players were compelled to take precautionary measures on Thursday as pollution disrupted the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi. With construction activity around the venue worsening air quality, several Mumbai players took to the field wearing face masks.

India batter Sarfaraz Khan, his younger brother Musheer Khan, and spinner Himanshu Singh were among those seen sporting masks during the third session at the MCA-BKC Ground.

The city's air quality index hovered around 160, categorised as "unhealthy," forcing players to contend not just with the opposition but also with difficult breathing conditions. Although Mumbai has been grappling with elevated pollution levels, it remains an unusual sight to see cricketers wearing face masks during a competitive match.

But a building construction site right next to the MCA-BKC Ground clearly aggravated the situation on Thursday afternoon. For about half-an-hour or so, the three Mumbai players wore face masks while fielding but got rid of them later on.

"There wasn't any banter (about it), but new (building) construction work is being carried out here and because of that the players were feeling the pollution and having issues in breathing, so they put those on," said Mumbai pacer Mohit Avasthi when asked about the players wearing masks.

(With PTI Inputs)