The opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 was going to be the last audition for many players. The domestic Indian T20 tournament starts just a day before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction and will serve as one final reminder from players to teams why they are worth investing in. Umran Malik, who happens to be one of those players, won’t be available for the opener.
Umran Malik coming back from injury & illness
In fact, the speedster who represents Jammu and Kashmir will be available for just the last two matches of SMAT. Suffering illness and injury, Umran is currently making his way back to full fitness. “I was suffering from a hamstring tear, then I suffered from dengue, but I have recovered. I have started bowling and running; I’ll be playing the last two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and the Vijay Hazare tournament,” Umran told the Times of India.
Umran’s up & down IPL career
Umran has been released by his franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, who he’s represented since 2021, and wishes to either return back or find a new home. He was the talk of the town back in 2022. He’d debuted in the season prior but gotten just 3 matches and gotten limited success. In 2022, however, he played the entire season and ended up as the fourth-highest wicket-taker.
The following seasons haven’t been great, though. In the last two years, he has played just 9 matches and taken 5 wickets while going at 10.57 runs per over. In three years, his whole world has turned upside down. He was still talked about until last season due to his rapid pace but Mayank Yadav‘s arrival on the IPL circuit has stopped those conversations as well.
Umran Malik’s IPL/SRH stats by season
| Season | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | – | 15 | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | 43.4 | 10.85 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 22 | 20.18 | 9.03 | 13.4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 | 2 | 48 | 8 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 29 | 26.62 | 9.39 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
