T20 Mumbai League is returning after a six-year hiatus and the Mumbai Cricket Association is set to have India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma as the ambassador. Additionally, the league is expecting to have star players like Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, among others, featuring in the matches. The league will be announced in Mumbai on Friday (April 18) and Rohit is expected to be present at the event. This year, the tournament will comprise eight teams, with two new sides to be announced soon. Each team will likely have some ‘icon players’ — which could include Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande and Prithvi Shaw — and the MCA is considering paying them Rs 15 lakh each for the tournament.. “We have not made it mandatory for them to play but we strongly expect them to play in the T20 Mumbai League. Their participation will only help Mumbai cricket grow, and benefit the players and the league,” an MCA official told PTI. The league began in 2018 and had its second season in 2019 before it had to be halted due to COVID-19. Although other leagues returned as the pandemic subsided, the Mumbai tournament took longer than expected. According to the news agency PTI, the 2025 edition will only start after the end of the ongoing IPL season. The MCA has received more than 2,800 entries for the 2025 edition. The current six teams are North Mumbai Panthers, ARCS Andheri, Triumph Knights Mumbai North East, Namo Bandra Blasters, Eagle Thane Strikers and Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs. Smriti Mandhana to be Ratnagiri Jets’ icon player Meanwhile, the MCA will also inaugurate the Women’s Maharashtra Premier League this season. India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named the icon player of Ratnagiri Jets. The inaugural edition of the WMPL was set to be held in June last year but was postponed due to South Africa Women’s tour of India, and the dates could not be worked out later. Ratnagiri Jets have won the men’s edition of the Maharashtra Premier League for two years in a row. “The franchise has demonstrated success in the MPL and a clear vision for the women’s game. I’m excited to play a part in shaping the next chapter of this journey and cannot wait to hit the ground running with my new teammates,” Mandhana said in a release.