In a scathing critique of Indian cricket's selection methodology, seasoned Mumbai batter Siddhesh Lad has raised serious concerns about the diminishing value of Ranji Trophy performances in the national selection process. The veteran cricketer, known as the 'Crisis Man' of Mumbai cricket, has lost faith in the traditional pathway to the Indian team through domestic cricket.

Speaking to Times of India on the sidelines of the jersey launch event of Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals, the defending champions of T20 Mumbai League, Lad made it clear that performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has become the primary benchmark for selection into the Indian cricket team.

Ranji Trophy Devalued, Says Lad

The 34-year-old cricketer, who made his first-class debut around 12 years back in November 2013, has an impressive domestic record with 56,23 runs in 82 matches at an average of 44.27, including 15 hundreds and 30 fifties. He was the top run-getter for Mumbai in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, scoring 774 runs in eight matches at a remarkable average of 77.40.

"The harsh reality is that domestic cricket performances are ignored by the national selectors. The Ranji Trophy has been devalued. I won't deny that," Lad stated firmly. "I'm not saying that I've performed well, so pick me into the Indian team, but I think someone like Auqib Nabi, if he has worked so hard and won the Ranji Trophy single-handedly for J&K, which is not so easy, performed exceptionally well in the Ranji Trophy, then he deserved to be picked in India's Test side."

Aaquib Nabi Example Highlights Selection Injustice

Lad cited the example of Jammu & Kashmir pacer Aaquib Nabi, who was the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy last season with 60 scalps in 10 matches at an extraordinary average of 12.56, helping his team win their maiden title. Despite this exceptional performance, Nabi was ignored for the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

"I think you are 100% right when you say that performing well in the IPL is the benchmark for breaking into the Indian team," Lad told the paper. "Even the IPL players know how difficult it is to play the whole Ranji Trophy season and maintain your fitness. However, nowadays, if you don't do well in the IPL, or don't have a good season in the IPL, your chances of coming into the Indian Test team are slim. If you don't play in the IPL, then it is difficult for you to move forward in your career."

Wrong Message Being Sent to Young Cricketers

The veteran cricketer expressed grave concern about the message being sent to upcoming domestic players. "You are sending a wrong message to the domestic cricketers, that even if you do well in Ranji Trophy, it doesn't make any difference to your cricketing career, but if you do well in a few games in the IPL, you can make it to India's test team," Lad said.

He further added, "At the start, everyone is like, 'If you perform in the Ranji Trophy, then you will play for India, if you don't perform then you won't.' But in the end, when we really see the selection, that's when a lot of things go wrong."

IPL as the 'Shortcut' to National Team

When asked whether he would advise promising youngsters to focus on T20 leagues rather than Ranji Trophy, Lad didn't hold back. "Definitely, I would say that. I won't deny it that if you see that you can play for India after just one season of the IPL, something that you possibly can't do after playing Ranji Trophy for a decade, then that means that we can't tell the players to focus only on the Ranji Trophy. If the player is playing well in the T20 Mumbai League, then there is a shortcut for him to subsequently play in the IPL and make it to the Indian team," Lad said matter-of-factly.

As a domestic cricket thoroughbred, Lad expressed his hurt at the way things have shaped up in Indian cricket. "I have seen so many players who have performed exceptionally well in the Ranji Trophy. However, just because they did not get that opportunity in IPL, they never had the chance to come into India's Test side," Lad concluded.