MUMBAI: The debate over what truly counts in Indian cricket has once again come to the fore, with Siddhesh Lad delivering a blunt assessment of the selection ecosystem. The 34-year-old Mumbai batter, long seen as the “Crisis Man” within his domestic setup, has been a steady presence in the first-class circuit and believes the Ranji Trophy no longer holds the same weight it once did for national recognition.
Lad’s first-class journey began in November 2013, roughly 12 years ago. Across 82 matches, he has amassed 5,623 runs at an average of 44.27, including 15 centuries and 30 half-centuries. His recent Ranji Trophy output also stood out: he struck five hundreds and ended as Mumbai’s leading run-scorer with 774 runs in eight matches at 77.40 during the 2025-26 season. Yet despite that kind of productivity, Lad said he has started to doubt whether the Ranji Trophy is still the pathway selectors use to identify potential India players.
Speaking on Thursday during the jersey launch of Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals, the defending champions of the T20 Mumbai League, Lad argued that the IPL is effectively treated as the deciding factor. He added that, in reality, performances in domestic cricket often get overlooked when national teams are being formed. Lad’s remarks were made alongside the build-up to T20 Mumbai League Season 4, which starts at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
To illustrate his point, Lad referenced Jammu & Kashmir pacer Aaqib Nabi, who led the wicket-taking charts in the previous Ranji Trophy campaign. Nabi finished with 60 wickets from 10 matches at 12.56, guiding his team to a maiden title. Lad said Nabi’s strong Ranji showing was not enough to earn him a call-up for the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Lad stated, “If you ask whether IPL performance is the benchmark for getting into the Indian team, I think you are 100% right. The harsh truth is that what happens in domestic cricket is ignored by national selectors. The Ranji Trophy has lost value, and I won’t pretend otherwise. I’m not saying that because I haven’t earned selection, it means I should be picked. But if someone like Aaqib Nabi has worked hard and delivered for J&K—winning their title almost single-handedly, which is not easy—then he deserved to be included in India’s Test plans.”
Expanding further, the Mumbai batter said maintaining fitness and sustaining performance across the length of the Ranji Trophy is a demanding task, even for experienced players. He noted that the modern selection mindset has shifted, with fewer opportunities for those who do not show impact in the IPL.
He added, “Even IPL players understand how tough it is to play the entire Ranji season and stay fit. But these days, if you don’t do well in the IPL—or don’t have a good tournament—your chances of being considered for the Indian Test team are slim. If you don’t play in the IPL, it becomes difficult to move your career forward.”
In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, Nabi had taken 44 wickets at 13.27, a haul that underlined the consistency Lad believes deserves wider recognition.
Lad then sharpened his criticism of the signals being sent to domestic players. He said the current approach risks discouraging those who invest heavily in the longer-format competition.
“You end up sending the wrong message to domestic cricketers,” Lad said. “Even if they perform well in the Ranji Trophy, it doesn’t seem to affect their career progression. But if they produce results in a handful of IPL matches, they can reach the Indian Test side. At the beginning, people say, ‘If you perform in Ranji, you’ll play for India; if you don’t, you won’t.’ However, when selection decisions are actually made, that’s when many things go wrong.”
With that reality in mind, Lad was asked whether he would advise emerging youngsters within the Maratha Royals setup to prioritize T20 Mumbai League performances and then use the IPL as the main route—rather than trying to force their way into the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team.
Responding directly, Lad said, “Definitely. I won’t deny it. If you can play for India after just one season of the IPL, which is something you usually can’t achieve after doing the Ranji Trophy route for a decade, then it doesn’t make sense to tell players to focus only on Ranji. If a player is doing well in the T20 Mumbai League, there is a pathway for him to move into the IPL and then potentially make it to the Indian team.”
Lad also expressed personal disappointment, framing his views as a reflection of what he has observed among domestic performers. As a long-time domestic cricketer, he said he is “hurt” by the way the system currently functions.
“I have seen so many players who performed exceptionally well in the Ranji Trophy,” Lad rued. “But just because they didn’t get that opportunity in the IPL, they never got a chance to come into India’s Test side.”
Meanwhile, Lad and Maratha Royals head coach Amit Dani also welcomed the inclusion of Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals pacer Tushar Deshpande, who had missed the previous season. Deshpande is available for the Maratha Royals this time.
As the T20 Mumbai League campaign begins at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, fans can keep track of IPL updates, including live scores and news, along with the ongoing race for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
