Kamal Ghorui
Mumbai: Wicketkeeper-batter Siddhant Addhatrao and all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar have received a green signal to enter the auction pool for the T20 Mumbai League despite representing Pondicherry and Goa, respectively, in the recently concluded domestic season. The auction for the league will be held on May 2.Being Ranji Trophy players, both Tendulkar, currently part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad in IPL 2026, and Addhatrao have been listed at a base price of Rs 5 lakh — the highest category.
Addhatrao, who made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2024–25 season, turned out for Pondicherry last year, while Tendulkar has been representing Goa in domestic cricket over the past few seasons.As per MCA rules, a local player returning after featuring as a guest player for another association is required to undergo a mandatory one-year cooling-off period. However, MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar informed that the clause would not apply in this case, as they did not take part in their respective states’ T20 leagues.“Since they did not participate in the T20 league organised by the association of their respective teams, as per the BCCI rules, they are eligible to participate in the T20 Mumbai League,” MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told TOI on Wednesday, while revealing that Addhatrao is switching back to Mumbai.“Addhatrao has submitted the required No-Objection Certificate from the Cricket Association of Pondicherry to us. He will serve a cooling-off period of one year and then will be eligible to play for Mumbai again,” he added.Meanwhile, India captain Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube have all been retained by their teams. India’s Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and senior batter Ajinkya Rahane are both slated to feature in Season 4 of the T20 Mumbai League, which will begin from June 2, just after the conclusion of IPL 2026 on May 31. Both Jaiswal and Rahane had missed out on the previous season of the tournament due to various reasons but have been allotted as ‘Icon Players’.Jaiswal has been allotted to the Bandra Blasters, although he is unlikely to play in the league as he is scheduled to represent India in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan from June 6 in New Chandigarh.
