Mumbai sack two selectors after selection controversy

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has sacked two selectors - Pradeep Kasliwal and Sanjay Patil - after a controversy over the squad picked for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 tournament. While picking an inexperienced bowling attack as part of the 15-man squad on Monday, the five-member panel omitted frontline quick Tushar Deshpande, leading to an uproar in the Mumbai circuit.

Deshpande picked up 15 wickets in Mumbai's victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign last year.

Upon finding out about Deshpande's omission, MCA president Vijay Patil summoned the selectors on Wednesday. It is understood that he sacked Kasliwal and Sanjay Patil after that, and the MCA later issued a statement saying the remaining three members of the panel - Milind Rege (chairman), Shridhar Mandale and Guru Gupte - were "appointed" as members of an "adhoc senior selection committee" until a new panel is appointed after the association's next annual general meeting, the date for which hasn't been announced yet.

Deshpande and left-arm-spinning allrounder Sujit Nayak have now been added to the Mumbai squad for the T20 tournament, which starts on Friday. Mumbai will take on Mizoram at Wankhede Stadium in a Group D fixture on Friday.

This is the second controversy this year around Mumbai's selectors. Earlier in March, the entire committee, with Ajit Agarkar as chairman, had had stepped down.

Mumbai had had an up and down 2018-19 season in which they won the Vijay Hazare Trophy but failed to make the quarter-finals in the Ranji Trophy, which put pressure on Agarkar's panel.

Mumbai squad (for first three games): Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Jay Bista, Aditya Tare, Sarfaraz Khan, Sujit Nayak, Siddhesh Lad, Shubham Ranjane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shams Mulani, Parikshit Valsangkar, Raunak Sharma, Kruthik Hanagavadi, Deepak Shetty, Tushar Deshpande, Dhrumil Matkar