Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20 captain, is set to participate in the Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament with the Mumbai team. Yadav confirmed his availability and intent to play with Sanjay Patil, the chief of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) selection committee, on Wednesday evening. The tournament, which begins on August 15, will see Mumbai led by Sarfaraz Khan.
A source from the MCA stated, "Surya has informed us of his availability for the Buchi Babu tournament, and his name will be included in the Mumbai squad. He has always supported Mumbai cricket whenever possible and is one of the few players who regularly participates in local club matches."
The selection committee had previously finalised a 17-member squad, and Yadav is expected to feature in the match between Mumbai and Jammu & Kashmir, scheduled to take place in Salem on September 27. However, Yadav will not be captaining the Mumbai team.
With the Indian team not scheduled for competitive fixtures following the Sri Lanka series, many players will be participating in the Duleep Trophy, set for September. Yadav was not selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, as senior national selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar indicated that Yadav is currently being considered only for T20Is. "At this point, Surya is being viewed exclusively as a T20 player and not considered for ODIs," Agarkar noted.
The Buchi Babu tournament traditionally marks the start of the domestic cricket season and serves as an opportunity for teams to assess their bench strength ahead of the Ranji Trophy season.