The IPL retention battle is heating up as the deadline to announce the retained players is nearing the end. It will be interesting to see what the future remains for Gujarat Titans bowler Mohammed Shami.
Shami hasn’t played a competitive match since that ICC ODI World Cup final which India went on to lose to Australia in Ahmedabad. Despite playing just seven matches in the tournament, Shami’s scorching form saw him picking up 24 wickets, the highest in the World Cup.
But an ankle injury derailed his plans and the pacer had to undergo surgery which further intensified his IPL future with Gujarat Titans. Shami was recently seen bowling in full throttle in Bengaluru but there is no timeframe for the player’s return to the pitch.
Shami’s recovery process also raised a question on his availability for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia starting in November as captain Rohit Sharma admitted the player had a setback in his rehabilitation.
Shami proved to be a shrewd piece of buy as he cost only 6.25 crore in the last IPL auction and went on to be Gujarat’s one of the consistent performers with 20 and 28 scalps in the last two editions respectively.
With the IPL retention rules already announced, all the IPL franchises have started their permutations and combinations and Gujarat Titans will be eager to get their retention game on point.
Shami revealed he is yet to hear anything from the franchise but he would love to play for the team again. In an interaction with SportsTak, the 34 year old said, "I don't know anything about this. The decision lies firmly with the franchise. If they feel the need to retain me, then they will. Otherwise, they won't.
"I haven't had any word with them so far, but if they do give the option, then who would refuse them?"
October 31 is reportedly the last date for submitting the list of retained players.