In a huge blow to Gujarat Titans, Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of IPL 2024 due to a left ankle injury
Injury strikes the Gujarat Titans! Star pacer Mohammed Shami will miss IPL 2024 after undergoing ankle surgery in the UK, confirmed a BCCI source. This major setback comes alongside the loss of former captain Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians. New captain Shubman Gill now faces the challenge of leading a weakened Gujarat Titans squad.
Gujarat Titans have been a force in the IPL since their 2022 debut, seizing the championship title that year and narrowly missing a repeat win in 2023. Shami's consistent wicket-taking prowess, with 20 wickets in 2022 and 28 in 2023, was crucial to this success.
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Without an official announcement, Gujarat Titans are permitted to seek a replacement player from the pool of unsold talent during the December IPL auction. However, the replacement's base price cannot exceed Shami's.
Shami, who is not part of the ongoing Test series against England, last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November.
"Shami was in London in last week of January to take special ankle injections and he was told that after three weeks, he can start light running and take it from thereon.
"But the injection hasn't worked and now the only option left is surgery. He will shortly leave for UK for surgery. IPL seems out of the question," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
People in the know of things believe that the NCA's conservative line of thinking has not worked in Shami's case.
"Shami should have gone directly for surgery and that should have been NCA's call. Just two months of rest and injections wouldn't have worked well and that's what has happened. He is an asset and the Indian team would need him in Australia," the source said.
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