NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans hinted at retaining captain Shubman Gill and ace spinner Rashid Khan for the upcoming IPL season through a social media post on Wednesday. The franchise shared images of both players, suggesting their retention for IPL 2025 ahead of the official announcement.
However, the absence of pacer Mohammed Shami’s photo in the post left fans wondering about his future with the team.The uncertainty surrounding Shami’s retention has sparked discussions among the franchise’s supporters.
Since joining the Gujarat Titans in 2022, Shami has been a pivotal player for the franchise. The 34-year-old fast bowler took 20 wickets during IPL 2022, contributing significantly to the Titans’ title victory in their inaugural season.
In IPL 2023, Shami continued to lead the Titans’ pace attack, finishing the season with an impressive tally of 28 wickets.
On Monday, Shami announced that he is now pain-free but emphasized the need to demonstrate his fitness in domestic cricket. He aims to play “one or two” matches to strengthen his case for selection ahead of the marquee tour of Australia starting next month.
Shami, who has been sidelined since the ODI World Cup final last November, showed impressive form by bowling at full intensity in the nets after India’s opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday.
His recent struggles have been compounded by a knee swelling issue, as mentioned by skipper Rohit Sharma, which has impacted his recovery from an ankle injury sustained last year?
“I am very happy with how I bowled yesterday. I was bowling from half run-up before that because I didn’t want to take too much load. But, I decided to go full tilt, and I bowled at 100 percent,” the 34-year-old told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by Eugenix Hair Sciences.
