India's experienced fast bowler Mohammed Shami Gonna wear this Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) jersey in the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the franchise bagged Rs 10 crore once from Shami's former employers Gujarat Titans refused to use the Right-to-Match (RTM) card.
Speaking to JioCinema after the auction at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, GT head coach Ashish Nehra said Shami was part of the team's retention plans but it didn't work out.
“Whatever he did for GT and for India, I mean he was part of our retention plans too. But here too you see that bonding is a thing,” said Nehra, a former India pacer. “Mohammed Shami, Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan – every team has so many options. Then we also had RTM, maybe we can use RTM (at the auction) and take him with us; but the kind of price he went for…”
GT retained five players ahead of the mega auction: Rashid Khan (Rs 18 Crore), Shubman Gill (Rs 16.5 Crore), Sai Sudharsan (Rs 8.5 Crore), Rahul Tewatia (Rs 4 Crore) and Shahrukh Khan (4 Crore Rupees).
At the auction, GT could have used the RTM to match SRH's bid, but this was rejected. Nehra said sometimes strategies don't work.
“It doesn’t matter what strategy you pursue. When it comes to an open auction, your strategy will not always be successful,” said the GT trainer.
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“In any case, everything Mohammed Shami did for GT and these three years will always be unforgettable.”
Gujarat Titans had bought Shami for Rs 6.25 crore in the 2022 auction, which was GT's debut season, and they won the trophy at the first attempt.
In IPL 2023, Shami won the Purple Cap by finishing as the tournament's top wicket-taker, scalping 28 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 18.64 and an economy of 8.03.
Shami suffered an ankle injury in the 2023 ODI World Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the IPL 2024.
