News
India Pacer Ignored By Selectors Has Eyes Of Two IPL Teams In Trade Window
Follow UsWhile one team’s interest is based on his form for his domestic side, the other team is trying to bank on his local appeal
Mohammed Shami might not fit into the scheme of things as far as the Indian national team is concerned, but he still demands attention in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As far as the IPL 2026 trade rumours are concerned, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have both shown interest in the 35-year-old pacer, who had his worst IPL season ever in IPL 2025.
With six wickets in nine matches at an average of 56 and an economy rate of 11.23, Shami was not at all the ideal candidate to fetch such interest from the team. However, him picking up 15 wickets in his first two Ranji appearances this season has once again made him an interesting prospect.
"I'm sure the selectors are watching and there is communication between Mohammad Shami and the selectors. But if you ask me, in terms of fitness and skill, it's the Mohammad Shami we know of,” Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and part of the Delhi Capitals management, was quoted as saying about the speedster ahead of the Kolkata Test.
"So, I really don't see any reason why he can't keep playing Test matches, one-day cricket and T20 cricket for India. Because that skill is enormous," he had added.
While Delhi’s interest is based on Ganguly’s assessment, LSG is more interested in Shami as a local player, since he comes from Uttar Pradesh.
Shami has 133 wickets in 119 IPL games and had five outstanding seasons back to back from 2019 to 2023, picking an average of 21 wickets over those five seasons.