Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been India's big-event titan, a master of seam and swing with old ball and new, who has turned it on on the biggest stages for them time and again, seemingly getting better with age. In Australia in the ODI World Cup in 2015, when India picked up 77 out of 80 wickets on offer, he took 17 at 17.29. In their next run to the semi-final of the event, in 2019, he took 14 at 13.78. Come the tournament at home in 2023, he took an incredible 24 at 10.70 - despite missing the team's first four games.

That's not to suggest he has been lacking in Tests: in his first dozen years in the format, he has taken over ten wickets in a series of three or more matches ten times. In 35 Tests in India, South Africa and West Indies, he has taken 131 wickets at well under 25 runs apiece. South Africa seemed to bring the best out of Shami. In India's consolation win in the Johannesburg Test of 2018, he scuttled the home side with 5 for 28 in their chase of 241. In the first Test of India's next tour, he took eight in the match for another win, in Centurion.

It raises the question of how much more he might have done if injuries did not frequently interrupt his career. The most notable of those came after his epic 2023 World Cup performance, when an Achilles issue injury kept him out of all formats for over a year, and though he came back strongly in the 2025 Champions Trophy with nine wickets in five matches, he had been out of Test cricket for over 18 months by then, nearing 35, his time seemed to be up.

Shami hails from Uttar Pradesh, but plays first-class cricket for Bengal. He had 15 first-class and 13 List A games behind him when he was drafted into India's ODI team to play Pakistan in Delhi in January 2013, where he bowled four maidens and took a wicket in an India win. In his debut Test, later that year against West Indies, he reverse-swung the old ball at pace to take nine wickets. Fifteen wickets came in his three matches on the Australia tour the following year.

He was promoted to international cricket off the back of an impressive 28 wickets in five games in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy and 14 wickets in his first eight domestic T20 games. Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for the 2011 IPL season and he got his first game for them in 2013, but moved to Delhi Daredevils in 2014. His IPL career hit a higher gear in 2019, when for five seasons running he took over 19 wickets each, first for Kings XI Punjab and then Gujarat Titans, including 20 in that side's title win in 2022, their first year in the tournament. The following year, when they lost in the final, he took 28.

- Mohammed Shami made his IPL debut for KKR in 2013 and went onto Delhi Daredevils/Capitals but could not find success there. He managed to start replicating his international success in the IPL when he joined Punjab Kings, taking 58 in 42 games between 2019 and 2021; the team, however, never made the playoffs.

- Individual and collective success came together for Shami with Gujarat Giants in IPL 2022 and 2023, where he took 48 wickets in 33 games and the team won the title and finished as runners up.

- An ankle surgery ruled Shami out of IPL 2024; he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 10 crore for IPL 2025. However, he did not find much luck bowling in the SRH colours: he took just six wickets in nine games, going at an economy of 11.23 and an average of 56.16.

- He remains on the path back from recurring injuries, but was traded to Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the 2026 season.