Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra was reportedly spotted conversing with pacers Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik in Bengaluru on Monday. Shami was released by GT ahead of IPL 2025 auction while Umran Malik parted ways with SRH. The duo, who are injury-prone, are currently recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
IPL 2025: Shami and Umran Malik to GT?
As per RevSportz, Ashish Nehra was spotted having a long chat with Umran Malik and Shami. While Shami has not played in the IPL since 2021, Umran Malik played only one match in IPL 2024 and missed rest of the season due to injury. Shami has 79 wickets from 77 IPL matches while Malik has 29 wickets from 26 matches.
Gujarat Titans are desparately in search for a fresh pace unit, not having retained a single fast-bowler before IPL 2025 auction. The side comprised of the likes of Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, Shami and others. Now, GT are tasked with finding a fresh set of pacers.
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| Player | Mat | WKTS | Ave | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umran Malik | 26 | 29 | 26.62 | 9.40 | 17.00 |
| Mohammed Shami | 77 | 79 | 30.41 | 8.63 | 21.14 |
Are injury-prone Umran Malik, Shami worth taking the gamble?
However, having Umran Malik and Shami in the side could be a huge gamble for GT, given the history of injuries for both pacers. Shami has not returned to competitive cricket ever since the conclusion of ODI World Cup in 2023. He even underwent an ankle surgery earlier this year. While he was expected to make his comeback in IND vs AUS Test series, he failed to recover in time, thus delaying his comeback. Gujarat Titans can afford to buy back Shami by using Right to Match (RTM) card.
Meanwhile, Umran Malik – who shot to fame due to his ability bowling deliveries consistently at high speeds – has warmed the bench more than playing in the XI. Recently, he was ruled out of the first phase of Ranji Trophy after suffering a hip injury. He is set to be out of action for 6-8 weeks. He was injured while he was recovering from a hamstring injury. He missed the Duleep Trophy earlier due to illness.
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