Out-of-favor India pacer Mohammed Shami is set to be traded by Sunrisers Hyderabad to Lucknow Super Giants prior to the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 35-year-old pacer’s services were acquired by SRH for Rs 10 crore at the mega auction last year.
“Both franchise have agreed to the trade,” a PTI report quoted a source in the know of things as saying.
Shami’s season with SRH last year was disappointing. He only took 6 wickets at an average of 56.16 with an economy rate of 11.23 in nine appearances.
Shami, who was once India’s pace spearhead, has been sidelined from the national team because of fitness issues. His most recent appearance for the “Men in Blue” came in the Champions Trophy final in March of this year.
November 15 is the deadline for teams to submit a list of players they wish to release from their squads.
Meanwhile, former South African pacer Dale Steyn revealed that during his stint as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling coach, he repeatedly urged the franchise management to sign Shami. Steyn served as SRH’s bowling coach from 2021 to 2024 and those were Shami’s peak years — highlighted by his Purple Cap-winning season in 2023.
Talking to Star Sports on the first day of the first Test, Steyn acknowledged that fitness did affect retentions but expressed disappointment if SRH lost Shami. Shami would make any IPL team if he is fit and in form, according to the former Proteas pacer.
“When I was bowling coach of Sunrisers, I was like, please, can we somehow get Mohammed Shami. And the moment that I wasn’t there, they got him. So, I would be disappointed if you lost him. I think fitness and form play a key role when it comes to the IPL, especially with bowlers. You want bowlers to be fit.”
“You want them to be firing, and if Shami is fit and firing, he’ll make any team. But if he’s been struggling a little bit and he’s had a couple of months off, some teams might say, you know what, there are other players that we would like to come into the team right now because they’re fit. They’re firing, and you would have been good a year and a half. for us, but not right now.”
“So that release might happen. But yeah, 3 years ago when I was there, I was begging for him,” said Steyn.
With 15 wickets in three games this Ranji Trophy season, Shami is in good bowling form.
