(Cricket News) Due to back spasms, Shreyas Iyer will not play in Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji Trophy quarterfinal. Due to a side issue, Mumbai will also be without the highly effective Shivam Dube for the home knockout match against Baroda on February 23.

Iyer was selected for the opening two games of the Test series against England, therefore he participated in one Ranji Trophy round this year to warm up. Nevertheless, following scores of 27, 29, 35, and 13 in the tests held in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, he was excluded from the final three tests. Iyer was permitted to be selected for India despite having back spasms shortly after the second Test.

Iyer’s back ailment had prevented him from playing in the IPL 2023 and subsequent tournaments until September, when he made a comeback for the Asia Cup, which took place right before the home ODI World Cup.

Before hammering 530 runs at an average of 66.25 and striking at 113.24 in the World Cup, with two hundreds and three half-centuries, he batted just once in the Asia Cup. Before being kept for the first two Tests against England at home, he quickly made a comeback to the Test side for the South Africa tour. Iyer, who has just over a month to heal from his back injury that kept him out of the last season, will head his IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, if he is healthy enough to do so.

In addition to injuries, the BCCI will be closely observing the absence of India’s centrally-contracted players because Jay Shah, the board secretary, warned them in a letter last week not to put the IPL ahead of domestic cricket.

Given that Dube has amassed two attacking hundreds and two half-centuries in his six Ranji innings this season, Mumbai would likely miss him more in the quarterfinal. When Mumbai defeated the visitors by an innings and 80 runs on the second day, Dube had gone for scans after suffering the ailment in the previous league match against Assam. This Ranji season, it was Mumbai’s third innings victory.

In this Ranji tournament, Dube has struck at 82.38 while averaging 67.83. Mumbai was 86 for 6 in the second innings of their match against Uttar Pradesh, but his 117 off 130 was not enough to save a two-wicket loss.

With the help of five sixes, he blasted an 87-ball century against Assam last week, helping Mumbai secure their fifth league victory of the year and take the lead in Group B. This season, he has also bowled 67 overs in seven innings at a pace of just 12.08, taking 12 wickets and delivering 23 maidens. Ajinkya Rahane will captain Mumbai, while the other international players on the team are Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, and Prithvi Shaw.

Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Prasad Pawar (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Aditya Dhumal, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Roystan Dias.

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