India National Cricket Team batter Shreyas Iyer is set to feature for Mumbai in the upcoming Buchi Babu Invitational tournament. Iyer will be joined by his Indian teammate Suryakumar Yadav in the tournament, which begins on August 27 in Coimbatore. Mumbai will face Jammu and Kashmir in the opening match.
Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Deepak Patil confirmed Iyer's participation, stating, "Shreyas Iyer will play for Mumbai at the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament organized by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. He will be playing against Jammu and Kashmir from August 27 in Coimbatore."
Iyer's return to red-ball cricket is viewed as a crucial opportunity to regain his spot in the Indian Test squad. He was dropped from the team following the two Tests against England due to a series of low scores and an underwhelming record in overseas matches. Iyer had made a strong start to his Test career, scoring a century on debut, but struggled to maintain his form in subsequent tours. In 14 Tests, Iyer has scored 811 runs at an average of 38.86, including one century and five half-centuries.
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Suryakumar Yadav, recently appointed captain of the Indian T20I team and Ishan Kishan will also be part of Mumbai's squad.
The Buchi Babu Invitational used to be a prominent season opener in Indian domestic cricket, drawing many Test stars. However, in recent years, it has struggled to attract big names. Notable past participants include Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Mohammad Azharuddin, as well as Sourav Ganguly during his comeback attempt in the mid-2000s. Following the Sri Lanka series, many Indian players are expected to participate in the Duleep Trophy in September, with the next international assignment being a two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
