Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav have left the Mumbai squad ahead of the white-ball series against New Zealand, while regular skipper Shardul Thakur is out of action due to a calf injury.
After finishing second in the group stage, Mumbai has called up all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar and fast bowler Mohit Avasthi for the knockouts, in place of Chinmay Sutar and Sylvester D’Souza.
And, Lad believes that there’s enough firepower in the team.
“Of course, it’s a big loss that the top players won’t be available for the knockouts. But I see this as a big, big opportunity for everyone, including myself. We have built this team over the last 2-3 years, and except for [Onkar] Tarmale, everyone has been part of the team for a couple of years, waiting for opportunities, and now this is the time,” Lad told Sportstar.
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“Mumbai team knows how to perform in the knockouts. This team has played the most number of knockouts and won them, so we have that fighting spirit inbuilt in us. Now, it’s just about clarity and creating an environment where all of us can come together, express ourselves and deliver,” the Mumbai captain said.
With India internationals like Shreyas, Suryakumar and Dube around, Lad had to miss a large part of the group stage. But being an experienced campaigner, he is looking forward to the new challenge.
“Every player wants to don the India colours someday, and for that to happen, one needs to perform in the knockout games. There will be a lot of pressure for sure, but if you perform under pressure, everyone watches you,” Lad said.
“For players featuring in the IPL, too, this will be a good platform and a good performance here will give them that confidence leading up to the IPL, and for those who aren’t in the IPL, these matches are an opportunity to get noticed,” he added.
Published on Jan 09, 2026
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