Rahane Withdraws from Red Ball Season Due to Personal Matters

Ajinkya Rahane has notified the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that he will not participate in the remainder of the red-ball season due to ‘personal reasons’.

According to Sportstar, the former India captain communicated his decision directly to MCA officials. Rahane had previously missed the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well.

Mumbai is set to compete in its final two Ranji Trophy matches, first against Hyderabad in an away game from January 22 to 25, and then returning home to face Delhi at the MCA-BKC ground from January 29 to February 1.

The 37-year-old cricketer has represented Mumbai for the last two seasons and served as the team captain until last year.

Rahane’s performance in the current Ranji Trophy season has been average, accumulating 209 runs over four matches with an average of 34.84, including a single century of 159 against Chhattisgarh.

While Rahane plans to continue playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, he is also taking on roles as a cricket pundit.

Published on January 17, 2026.