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Mohammed Shami on Thursday took a jibe at cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar's remark on a potential drop in his price tag at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Shami, who has taken 127 wickets in 110 IPL matches since his debut in 2013, made a comeback to competitive cricket recently after spending nearly a year away due to an ankle injury for which he underwent surgery.
The 34-year-old pacer was released by Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction and he is listed at a base price of Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million).
Shami picked 20 wickets in the 2022 edition for Gujarat Titans to help the franchise win its maiden title.
In IPL 2023, Shami took 28 wickets from 17 matches at an economy rate of 8.04.
He ended the season as the leading wicket-taker and won the purple cap ahead of Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh and other star bowlers.
While he expects Shami to have several takers, Sanjay Manjrekar said he doesn't expect the pacer to attract intense bidding in Jeddah.
'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,' Manjrekar told Star Sports.
'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,' he added.
'Baba Ki Jay Hooooo. Thoda sa gyan apne future ke liye bhi bacha lo kaam ayeaga Sanjay G. Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile (All hail baba ji. Please save some wisdom for the future as well Sanjay G. If anyone wants to know about their future please meet Sir)," Shami responded on Instagram story to Manjrekar's opinion.
Shami will next feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, domestic cricket's T20 tournament. And if his fitness holds, he may be on a flight to Australia to do battle with the Aussies.