Former Indian Cricketer Raises Serious Concerns on Mohammed Shami's Poor IPL 2025

Mohammed Shami has had a lackluster 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far to say the least. 

With an economy of 11.2, this has been Shami’s worst season with the ball in IPL history. He is also averaging a shambolic 56.2 with the ball which is his second worst after the 2012 season where he played just three games. So poor has been his rhythm, that Shami has only bowled his full quota of overs in three out of nine games so far. 

Notably, it has been sometime now since Shami made a return from injury. He made his comeback for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after sweating it out in the domestic circuit. He also picked up nine wickets in the tournament and looked set to take on the IPL challenge, with SRH shelling out INR 10 crore to procure his services. 

Also read - Mohammed Shami's Downfall Underlines SRH's Mediocre IPL 2025

Understandably, many questions are being raised on the ace Indian speedster as there is a five-match Test series against England scheduled right after the IPL. 

“It’s not like he came back from an injury last week or last month. He started playing domestic cricket last year, and this is May already," former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra said on ESPNCricinfo. 

“He's played an ICC event [Champions Trophy] in between. He's played a lot of games. If he's still off the boil, and that has something to do with the injury - and we're all assuming that it is - then there is a serious question mark with regards to what happens next.”

Chopra doubted which version of Shami would appear in the England Test series since he has looked so uncharacteristic in the ongoing IPL. He underlined how Shami has not been able to be consistent with his line and lengths, which has always been Shami’s core strength as a pacer. 

"Of course, [SRH] is one story. The other is the tour of England,” Chopra remarked. 

“All of us were harping about the fact that [at the] Border-Gavaskar Trophy, [Jasprit] Bumrah was alone, there was no Shami, and if there was Shami how things would have been different. But will there be Shami [in England] is the question. And what kind of Shami?

"This tournament is such that it doesn't matter who you are. If you're not delivering the goods, you will be taken to the cleaners. And right now, what I see with Shami is, pace down is one bit, second is not enough balls getting bowled in the same area. Mohammed Shami was always that. That is his only strength [and], it is phenomenal."

SRH also have had a really poor season as their premier pacer failed to rise up to the occasion this season, and are in the 9th spot after playing 10 games in the competition and winning only three of them.