3 teams that should target Mohammed Shami at IPL 2026 auction if SRH releases him

Mohammed Shami made a marvellous return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after missing out on the 2024 season due to ankle and heel injuries. He had two terrific seasons with the Gujarat Titans (GT) and a mega auction saw his price soar up to Rs 10 crore before he finally settled in at the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

However, making his return after a long hiatus, Shami never looked the same. At the IPL 2025, he had his worst-ever IPL season, taking just six wickets after nine innings, that too, at a career-worst economy of 11.23. He never really found his rhythm, the yorkers disappeared, and he often looked far from his best. The slump in pace and control meant SRH had to turn to younger bowlers like Ehsan Malinga and Simarjeet Singh to do the heavy lifting. At 35, Shami isn’t the force he once was, and fitness has been an ongoing concern.

Now, what will Shami’s future hold if SRH actually decides not to retain him ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline on November 15? Well, there could be many takers for the experienced pacer and let’s have a look below.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are headlining the trade window massively with their potential player swap with the Rajasthan Royals (RR). A certain Sanju Samson is about to join CSK, with their legend Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving out. However, as we saw last year, CSK struggled with their pace attack.

Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 13 crore) is on a massive paycheque and has failed to deliver. Khaleel Ahmed had a productive season. While the likes of Anshul Kamboj and Gurjapneet Singh are there, CSK need experience, and not many have that other than Shami. Watching Shami in the yellow of CSK would definitely be interesting.

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Similarly, another team that lacks experience in the pace department is Rajasthan Royals (RR). Among all the ten IPL teams last season, RR had the worst average as a pace-bowling unit. They took a wicket after leaking 44.55 runs, which is almost double what MI (24.93) recorded.

The main reason was that Jofra Archer was hot and cold. Tushar Deshpande, picked for Rs 6.50 crore, had a mediocre season. Sandeep Sharma, the ageing T20 specialist, didn’t inspire as well. Also, RR didn’t have a single pace-bowling all-rounder, the mere reason why they are adamant on having Sam Curran from CSK. That is why Mohammed Shami could be ideal for the Kumar Sangakkara-coached side. He will add that experience and would spearhead the attack alongside other important pieces.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Here comes a team for which Mohammed Shami made his IPL debut. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would love to have the local lad, who has all the knowledge of playing at the Eden Gardens. Shami represents Bengal in domestic circuit and has been in terrific form this season as well.

It is not just that but KKR lacked a renowned Indian pacer. Yes, they have Harshit Rana but even he needs to be guided. At IPL 2025, KKR pacers leaked runs at an alarming rate of 10.71, the second-worst among all ten teams. While KKR are tinkering on Umran Malik’s retention, they would like SRH to release Shami so that they rack him up. KKR would be having a great purse with themselves if they opt to release their Rs 23.75 crore batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.

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