Big boost for India ahead of IND vs NZ series; Shreyas Iyer to captain Mumbai in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26

Shreyas Iyer has been named in India’s squad for the ODI series against New Zealand.

Indian Cricket Team’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will captain Mumbai in their next two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. Mumbai will clash with Himachal Pradesh on January 6 and Punjab on January 8.

They have been led by Shardul Thakur in the tournament so far; however, Iyer will take the reins of the side in the next two clashes. Thakur has been ruled out of the domestic one-day tournament due to an injury.

Revealing about the move in an official statement, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said, “The MCA is pleased to announce that Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the Captain of the Mumbai senior men’s team for the remaining league matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”

Iyer has been included in India‘s ODI squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, which begins on January 11.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) clarified, when announcing the squad, that Iyer’s availability depends on receiving fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE). Shreyas has recovered from his abdominal injury but has not received clearance from CoE to play for India.

As a part of his rehabilitation process, he will feature in Mumbai’s next two games in VHT 2025-26 to prove his fitness. If he does not suffer any setback after both matches, he will get the Right to Play (RTP) card from CoE.

Earlier, the MCA secretary informed TOI that Iyer has got clearance from CoE to play in VHT 2025-26. He also added that Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube will play for Mumbai alongside Iyer.

“Iyer has informed us that he has got the clearance from the Centre of Excellence (COE) today to play in the Vijay hazare Trophy. Shreyas, Surya and Dube will all reach Jaipur tomorrow (Sunday) and play for Mumbai in the last two VHT matches (against Himachal on Jan 6 and Punjab on Jan 8),” he said.

Shreyas Iyer sustained an injury during India’s tour of Australia 2025

Notably, Iyer sustained an abdominal injury during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney on October 25 last year while fielding. Due to the incident, he sustained internal bleeding and a laceration of the spleen and underwent surgery in a Sydney hospital.

Due to this injury, he missed three months of competitive cricket, including the ODI series against South Africa in November. He recovered from his injury in December and checked into BCCI’s CoE on December 25.

Although he has resumed his batting and regained his fitness, he lost some weight due to the injury, for which he was urged to spend more time at the BCCI facility. Now, he is set to play for Mumbai to prove his match fitness to the selectors.

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