On Thursday, Shami posted a story on his Instagram account, referencing a news piece titled, "Sanjay Manjrekar predicts a potential drop in price tag for Mohammed Shami in IPL mega auction 2025".
Shami commented on the news, "Baba ji ki jay hooooo. Thodsa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha loo kaam ayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile." (Glory to the wise man. Save some knowledge for your own future, it will come in handy Sanjay ji. If anyone wants to know the future then meet sir.)
Mohammad Shami's Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/PIruQ4oRcS
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 21, 2024
The comments in question came when Manjrekar was speaking yesterday on Star Sports during a preview show for the IPL 2025 mega auction, which is set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 & 25.
"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," Manjrekar had said. "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."
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Shami has been part of the Gujarat Titans franchise since their inception in 2022. He took 20 wickets in his first season with the franchise, following it up with 28 wickets in 2023. Shami had missed the 2024 IPL following an ankle surgery undertaken following the conclusion of the ODI World Cup in November last year, and has not been retained for the upcoming edition.
His rehabilitation has been of keen interest to Indian fans. He made his first appearance since the World Cup final earlier this month, playing for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh. His performance in that match sparked suggestions of a swift return to the Indian Test team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but that will be put on hold for now.
Shami has been included in Bengal's squad for the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 competition, which begins on Saturday (November 23). As he continues to build up his fitness, there is a chance that he could join up with the Indian team for the latter half of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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