Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan (Image credit: Instagram)

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) found itself at the centre of an embarrassing mix-up on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy 2025 season after confusing Mumbai’s star batter Sarfaraz Khan with his younger brother Musheer Khan.The error occurred during Mumbai’s opening match against Jammu & Kashmir at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar on Wednesday. As per the official scorecard on the BCCI website, it initially appeared that Sarfaraz had opened the innings and was dismissed for a duck by pacer Auqib Nabi. The record was soon picked up by fans and media outlets, creating a flutter online — until the truth emerged.In reality, it wasn’t Sarfaraz who got out but Musheer Khan, the younger of the two brothers, who had been listed as one of Mumbai’s openers. The scorers’ mistake led to widespread confusion, as Sarfaraz is known for his role as a middle-order mainstay — usually batting at No. 4 or No. 5 — and is currently pushing for a spot in the Indian Test squad.

Cricket fans were quick to express surprise at seeing Sarfaraz’s name among the openers. The error prompted speculation about a possible experiment by the Mumbai team management, only for the situation to be clarified later. Once the oversight was identified, the scorecard was corrected — but not before the news of “Sarfaraz out for a duck” had already spread across social media.Because the match had no live broadcast, many assumed the veteran Mumbai batter had indeed been dismissed early. By the time the official correction was made, the damage had been done — Sarfaraz had trended online for the wrong reasons, all thanks to the BCCI scorers’ glaring mistake.For Mumbai fans, it was a bizarre start to the domestic season. And for the BCCI, it was a reminder that even in cricket’s digital era, human error can still hit the scoreboard.