SRH went all out for Indian pacer Mohammed Shami at the IPL Auction and bagged him for 10 Cr. But what they perhaps didn’t factor in was, if the 34-year-old was going to be fit for IPL 2025 or not, or whether he will play all the matches or not. As things stand currently, despite playing 8-9 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches, and a Ranji Tropy match, Shami did not get the clearance from the BCCI, to travel to Australia for the IND vs AUS series.
NO Mohammed Shami Means No Balance in SRH
In short, he is yet to recover from his surgery and is not yet a 100%. That put in jeopardy, his place in the Indian team for the Champions Trophy, and then the IPL, that closely follows. And SRH will be a tense unit for now. If there comes a situation where Shami isn’t available for the season, then Hyderabad is likely to encounter a few problems.
Pat Cummins will be their spearhead for sure then, followed by pacer Harshal Patel, and maybe Jaydev Unadkat. Patel, for his part, won the IPL purple cap in 2024 for bagging 24 wickets in 14 matches, but the problem will be, when it comes to the third pacer. UNadkat was mighty expensive this season, and his lack of pace would only spell more trouble for him next year.
Team Lacks Quality Indian Spinners
Instead, the team might have to try little-known Sri Lanka’s Ehsan Malinga, who has just played 13 T20s in his career, and picked up as many wickets. And Nitish Kumar Reddy could chip in with a couple of overs if needed. Spin department looks sorted at least, with the presence of Rahul Chahar..and Azam Zampa. Yes, the Aussie leg-spinner can be included in the line up of Malinga is not played.
Another problem that the team might face is, absence of a quality Indian finger spinner. Yes, there is Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis, but it will have to be a clear choice between him and Zampa. So, if only Shami is fit, not only he provides the team with an excellent wicket-picking option, but also brings greater balance to the team.
SRH Full Squad for IPL 2025
Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Mohammad Shami (Rs. 10 crore), Harshal Patel (Rs. 8 crore), Ishan Kishan (Rs. 11.25 crore), Rahul Chahar (Rs. 3.2 crore), Adam Zampa (Rs. 2.40 crore), Atharva Taide (Rs. 30 lakh), Abhinav Manohar (Rs. 3.20 crore), Simarjeet Singh (Rs. 1.50 crore), Zeeshan Ansari (Rs. 40 lakh), Jaydev Unadkat (Rs. 1 crore), Brydon Carse (Rs. 1 crore), Kamindu Mendis (Rs. 75 lakh), Aniket Verma (Rs. 30 lakh), Eshan Malinga (Rs. 1.20 crore), Sachin Baby (Rs. 30 lakh).
