MUMBAI: Mumbai have roped in 'keeper-bat
Prasad Pawar
, batter
Aakarshit Gomel
, who can bowl part-time off-spin, leg-spinning allrounder
Khizar Dafedar
and left-arm spinner
Dhrumil Matkar
as replacements after four of their players tested positive for Covid-19 when the team was about to depart for Guwahati for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will kick off on November 4.
Mumbai's chances in the tournament had taken a big hit on Wednesday when middle-order batter
Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner
Shams Mulani
, leggie
Prashant Solanki
and all-rounder
Sairaj Patil tested positive. "All the four replacements were flown in yesterday, and should be available for the first game. We had originally picked pacer
Minad Manjrekar as one of the replacements, but he too was down with covid," Mumbai chief selector and former India fast bowler
Salil Ankola told TOI on Saturday.
In a piece of good news for Mumbai, Ankola informed that if the four players who're currently down with covid recover in time, then they can be flown in and should be available for selection for at least the last two games of the league stage of the tournament. "If they test negative (in the first week of November), we can add them to the squad. They can play there after one day's rest," said Ankola.
Mumbai will play five games in the league stage of the tournament. Currently, the squad is undergoing a seven-day quarantine in Guwahati.
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