Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani among four Mumbai players to test Covid-19 positive
The players were part of the Mushtaq Ali squad that was to travel to Guwahati for the tournament starting Nov 4
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Oct-2021
Sarfaraz Khan pushes the ball through the off side • Getty Images
Four players of Mumbai's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad have tested positive for Covid-19 and their replacements have been picked.
Press Trust of India (PTI) said the four players were middle-order mainstay Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Shams Mulani, legspinner Prashant Solanki and allrounder Sairaj Patil.
PTI reported that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has finalised on replacements for the four players, and their names will be announced soon.
"We are conducting Rapid RT-PCR (of the players named as replacements) and their reports will come soon and accordingly they will join the team. We are also conducting the RT-PCR test of the other squad members," PTI quoted a source as saying.
Of the four, Solanki, 21, is yet to make his T20 debut. Sarfaraz, 24, has played 68 T20 games, and was part of the Punjab Kings squad in the recently concluded IPL. Mulani, also aged 24, has played 25 T20 games and was part of the Delhi Capitals squad as a short-term replacement for Axar Patel during the first leg of IPL 2021. Patil, who turns 25 on October 31, has played three T20s, having debuted in the format as far back as 2017.
Mumbai are in Elite Group B of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which also comprises of Karnataka, Bengal, Baroda, Chattisgarh and Services. The Elite Group B matches will be held in Guwahati, for the competition that starts on November 4. The knockouts will be from November 16, with the final on November 22.
Teams are divided into six groups for the league stage, Elite Groups A, B, C, D and E, and the Plate Group. Mumbai will begin their campaign against Karnataka on November 4.
Mumbai didn't fare well in last year's Mushtaq Ali Trophy, winning only one of five league games to finish bottom of Elite Group E. They turned that around in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy that followed, winning the tournament.
Only Solanki didn't take part in last year's Mushtaq Ali tournament. Sarfaraz played all five matches, Mulani three, while Patil played one game.