Shivam Dube dealing with side strain injury; likely to miss Ranji Trophy knockouts - Reports

Team India and Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube is likely to miss the remainder of the Ranji season due to a side strain injury. He was rested for Mumbai's group-stage encounter against Chhatisgarh before returning to the fold in the final group game against Assam and scoring an unbeaten hundred in the dominant win.

Dube is a vital member of both the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well as Team India in the upcoming T20 season which includes both the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as the T20 World Cup. He has been in fine run of form across all formats of late.

In the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, he has been instrumental with both the bat and ball, contributing 407 runs in five matches at an average of 67.83 while also claiming 12 wickets.

"Dube has a bilateral side strain injury, and is likely to be out of the rest of the Ranji Trophy season. He suffered the injury while batting during the last match against Assam (he scored 121 not out), and didn't come out to field in Assam's second innings at BKC. He has a grade one tear. Musheer Khan (the teenaged allrounder did well for the India Under-19 team in the U-19 World Cup in South Africa recently) is likely to be his replacement," a source told the Times of India.

Musheer Khan, who was one of the leading run-scorers in the recently concluded 2024 U-19 World Cup in South Africa, has played three first-class games to date, having made his debut in 2022. He has scored 96 runs in five innings at an average of 19.20.

The selection committee is likely to convene and pick the squad for Mumbai's upcoming Ranji Trophy quarter-final encounter against Baroda, scheduled to begin on Friday, February 23.

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Shivam Dube made a huge statement with his all-round exploits of India in Hardik Pandya's absence

Dube was Team India's go-to all-rounder in the shortest format following Hardik Pandya's injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup.

He made the most of the opportunity, scoring successive fifties in the home T20I series against Afghanistan in January 2024 and being in contention for the T20 World Cup squad.

Dube will be hoping to be fit in time for the 2024 IPL season, which begins in a month. He had played an instrumental role in CSK's record-equalling fifth title triumph in the 2023 edition.