The Mumbai Cricket Association is seeking BCCI approval for an ambitious behind-the-scenes production following its senior team across the upcoming domestic season, with plans to chronicle Mumbai’s campaigns from the start of Ranji Trophy preparations through to the final match of the season.
The project, which could ultimately take the form of either a documentary or web series, will be directed by Patrick Graham and is intended to provide an inside look at the players, preparation and culture behind Indian domestic cricket’s most successful Ranji Trophy team.
Mumbai Cricket Association President Ajinkya Naik told The Indian Express and HT Digital: “We have requested for a few permissions from the BCCI as we want to document the entire season of the Mumbai senior team.”
MCA executives have met BCCI Chief Executive Officer Hemang Amin to seek the required permission, according to The Indian Express. If approved, the production would follow the senior team from its practice and preparations through a domestic calendar encompassing the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
MCA explores OTT opportunity for Mumbai cricket
Beyond documenting the team, the project could create a new media property around Mumbai cricket and take its domestic-season story to a wider audience.
HT Digital reported that discussions are underway with leading OTT platforms over streaming rights. A final platform has not been announced, while the precise format of the production also remains undecided.
Naik added: “Whether it takes the form of a web series or a documentary will be decided as we progress, but the idea is to give fans a unique look at what goes on behind the scenes with the Mumbai team throughout the season.”
The concept follows the broad behind-the-scenes model established by productions such as Prime Video’s The Test, which documented the Australian men’s cricket team across three seasons. For MCA, however, the focus would be on the workings of a domestic cricket powerhouse across an entire Indian season.
Mumbai’s cricket culture at the heart of the project
Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy a record 42 times, and the proposed production is designed to go beyond match action by capturing the preparation and environment surrounding the senior team.
Naik told HT Digital: “This initiative will help youngsters understand what goes on behind the scenes, the preparation, discipline, hard work and culture that have made Mumbai cricket so successful. It will give the next generation an opportunity to learn from Mumbai’s rich cricketing legacy.”
The project would represent an unusual move into behind-the-scenes storytelling for Indian domestic cricket, giving MCA an opportunity to package the history and culture of Mumbai cricket around the journey of its current players.
Naik told The Indian Express and HT Digital: “We want to capture the journey from Day 1 of our senior team’s preparations for the Ranji Trophy right through to the final match of the season. Mumbai cricket has such a rich heritage, and we felt, ‘why not showcase it to the world?’ Let people see what goes into the making of a 42-time Ranji Trophy champion side.”
Mumbai prepare for new domestic season
The proposed production would begin against the backdrop of Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji Trophy campaign. The 42-time champions have been placed in Group D alongside Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Railways, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
Mumbai are scheduled to open their campaign against Chandigarh on October 11 before their domestic season later moves into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Siddesh Lad is set to captain Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, while either Suryakumar Yadav or Shreyas Iyer will lead the side in the white-ball competitions.
The immediate next step remains BCCI approval. If permission is granted, MCA’s plans would take cameras inside Mumbai’s senior setup across the season while its discussions over how and where to distribute the finished production continue.
