While he is expected to start a bidding war, Sanjay Manjrekar feels teams might be cautious of his recent injury issues, for he can break down midway through the season.
The upcoming IPL 2025 auction will have almost every quality Indian pacer in the player pool, with most expected to fetch a big amount. A few are specialist in a particular phase, while the best ones provide value in every phase and bowl all tough overs for their teams.
Among them is Mohammed Shami, one of the most skilled pacers in the country – he has several variations and possesses a certain threat. Further, his significant progress as a white-ball bowler surged his value massively, and he showed what he could do in the IPL and the World Cup last year before an injury layoff.
While he is expected to start a bidding war, Sanjay Manjrekar feels teams might be cautious of his recent injury issues, for he can break down midway through the season. On Star Sports, Manjrekar said his fitness might play a role in reducing his price in the impending auction.
“There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami’s injury history—and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover—there’s always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season. If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag.”
Mohammed Shami was out of competitive cricket for almost a year after undergoing major surgery on the left Achilles tendon in London in February this year. Since then, he tried making a comeback a few times, but a fresh setback kept him out of action before finally getting fit.
He returned to his domestic side Bengal last week in a Ranji Trophy fixture, and after struggling a bit in the initial phase, he gained his rhythm and bowled beautifully. Shami snared four wickets in the first innings and three in the second dig to end the game with seven dismissals.
Further, he also scored a vital 37 in the second innings with the willow. Those runs eventually made a difference as Bengal won a thriller by 11 runs.
Shami has been drafted into Bengal’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and will look to make an impact again. If all goes well, he might feature in the later phase of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
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