Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has claimed that the Gujarat Titans (GT) might not retain Mohammed Shami for IPL 2025. His remarks come amid the pacer’s efforts to recover from an injury and make a comeback to competitive cricket. The speedster has been on the sidelines since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup in 2023. He also went on to miss the entire IPL 2024 season.
Will GT retain Shami for IPL 2025?
In a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra claimed that Shami’s injury might pose a threat to his retention by GT ahead of IPL 2025 auction. He reckoned that the team would probably go on to retain skipper Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Rashid Khan. Chopra further opined that no player apart from the aforementioned trio were worth Rs 18 crore.
“They don’t have any other player who is worth Rs 18 crores, who will be sold for Rs 18 crores if you release them, whether it’s Kane Williamson, Mohammed Shami, David Miller, or any other name. I am saying this team might not retain Shami because of injury concerns,” Aakash Chopra said.
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Shami is currently recovering from an ankle injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The pacer is racing against time to be fit for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia which will begin in late November.
Gujarat Titans bagged Shami in the IPL 2022 mega auction for Rs 6.25 crore. The veteran pacer has 73 wickets from 77 IPL games to his name so far. He was in phenomenal form between 2019-2021, picking up 19, 20 and 19 wickets in three seasons. Before moving to GT, he spearheaded the bowling attack for the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
While reports on Wednesday had suggested that Shami developed a fresh injury concern during his rehab, the pacer rubbished such rumours. The veteran claimed that he was putting in the hard work to ensure his comeback to competitive cricket and appealed to the fans to not trust baseless rumours. It remains to be seen when Shami will return to action next.
