Manjrekar reflects on Shami's recent injury issues and their impact on IPL 2025 mega-auction

Shami made a triumphant return to competitive cricket after a year-long injury layoff, taking seven wickets in Bengal's thrilling 11-run win over Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy match on Saturday.

Shami's return to domestic cricket marks an important step in his comeback journey. He had been in sensational form during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, finishing as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70, including three five-wicket hauls. His best performance came in the semi-final against New Zealand, where he claimed 7/57. However, after India's heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final in November 2023, the team redeemed themselves with a T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean this year, though Shami was forced to watch from the sidelines due to injury.

Speaking on Star Sports, Manjrekar said that there will be interest from the IPL franchises, however, they will be worried about Shami's injury since they don't want to lose the star seamer in the mid-season.

The former cricketer added that for this reason the price tag of Shami will be dropped in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega-auction.

"There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami's injury history--and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover--there's always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season. If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag," Manjrekar said.

In the 2023 season of the cash-rich tournament, Shami picked up 28 wickets from 17 innings at an economy rate of 8.04 and won the purple cap for becoming the highest wicket-taker of the season.

Earlier on Monday, Shami was named in the Bengal squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The 34-year-old's stunning performance in the Ranji Trophy raised the hopes of the Indian fans as there were chances that he might be added to India's squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. However, there is uncertainty over his travel to Australia and take part in the prestigious series. (ANI)