Mohammed Shami, who needs no introduction, has a wealth of game experience and several memorable match-winning performances to his name, both for India and in the IPL. In the IPL, he has played 77 games, taken 79 wickets, and maintained an economy rate of less than 9, which gives him a big boost.
Shami will bring all his bowling expertise to Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, who picked him in the recently held IPL mega auction with the hope that he will deliver the same performances as he did for his previous IPL teams. Although he is coming off an ankle injury, he played a decent number of domestic games after surgery and performed impressively well.
After SRH picked him, an interesting debate came about which teams could have utilised the speedster better than SRH in IPL 2025. Although the tournament has not yet started, and making assumptions is certainly not ideal, but let’s take a look at three franchises that could have potentially utilised him better.
Teams where Mohammed Shami could have been utilized better than SRH in IPL 2025
PBKS
Although Punjab Kings do have a good bowling unit, it mostly comprises foreign names such as Marco Jansen and potentially Marcus Stoinis. They could even consider Lockie Ferguson. However, beyond these players, they lack experienced Indian bowlers apart from Arshdeep Singh. While they do have some emerging Indian talents, the absence of a seasoned Indian pacer creates a gap that someone like Mohammed Shami could have filled.
A bowler like Shami, who can bowl effectively at any stage of the game, whether in the powerplay, middle overs, or death overs, he would have been a tremendous asset for Punjab Kings. He could have added the much-needed experience and reliability to their bowling attack.
In comparison, Sunrisers Hyderabad appears to be a more balanced side, even without Shami. While they will undoubtedly benefit from his presence, Punjab Kings would have likely utilised his skills more effectively in IPL 2025.
RCB
This time, RCB put in significant effort to strengthen their bowling unit by acquiring quality bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar and also spinners like Krunal Pandya. They also have pacer Josh Hazlewood, but his participation remains uncertain due to a recent injury. However, no official confirmation has been made yet.
RCB, who have struggled in the past due to a weak bowling lineup, often scored plenty of runs but failed to defend them because their bowlers couldn’t deliver consistently and conceded too many runs. If Mohammed Shami had been part of their squad for IPL 2025, his experience could have been invaluable. His presence, particularly in the death overs, where RCB has historically lost their grip, could have provided the stability and expertise they desperately needed. This entire scenario might have been different if Shami were part of the team.
DC
Just like the issue with Punjab Kings, the same goes for Delhi Capitals, plenty of batters but a lack of quality bowlers. Although they have Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar, who else stands out as a proven name? Possibly not many. They invested heavily in batters, acquiring players like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, Harry Brook, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Karun Nair, all star-studded names in the batting lineup. However, their bowling unit appears to be struggling, creating a major concern.
If Mohammed Shami had been part of their squad, it would have been a fantastic addition. Pairing Starc on one side with Shami on the other could have worked good for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.
