Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels star India fast bowler Mohammed Shami will experience a dip in his price in the upcoming IPL (Indian Premier League) 2025 auction. Notably, Shami recently made a comeback to professional cricket after almost a year for Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
The speedster was out of action since undergoing a surgery for Achilles tendon injury on his left leg in February earlier this year. Shami made a brilliant comeback as he scalped six wickets against Madhya Pradesh and played a major role in Bengal’s thrilling 11-run victory. However, despite his remarkable return, Manjrekar feels Shami is likely to experience a drop in his price tag due to his injury history.
“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,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
Shami was the purple cap winner in his last IPL in 2023 where he finished as the highest wicket-taker having scalped 28 wickets from 17 innings at an average of 18.64 and an economy of 8.03. Hence, the speedster will be on the radar of several franchises especially after a breathtaking campaign in the ODI World Cup as well where he again finished as the highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets to his name.
Shami to play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Meanwhile, after a brilliant comeback in the Ranji Trophy, Shami has been named in the Bengal squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy(SMAT) 2024-25 as well. The fast bowler’s fitness will be further assessed by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) in the tournament set to begin from November 23.
The medical staff and the national selection committee want Shami to play a few more matches before taking the flight to Australia to see how his body is holding up after playing multiple matches even if it’s a white-ball game. Hence, the speedster has shown great progress and will be soon put on a flight to Australia.
– Champions Trophy tour cancelled video embed
