New Delhi: India pacer Mohammed Shami has slammed former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar for his remark over IPL auction, calling him a “baba” people could contact to know their future.
In an Instagram story, Shami shared a screenshot of a post featuring Manjrekar’s opinion on the pacer’s auction price, suggesting that there could be a potential decrease in his bidding at the upcoming mega auction.
“Baba ki jay hoooooo. Thodsa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha loo kaam aayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile (All hail the saint. Save some knowledge for your future as well, it will come in handy. If anyone wants to know the future, they should meet sir),”Shami wrote.
Earlier while speaking to Star Sports, Manjarekar stated that Shami’s injury history could result in a price drop for the pacer in the upcoming IPL auction.
“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 had said on 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.
Shami, who has been out of action the 2023 World Cup final, has fully recovered from the injury that ruled him out for more than a year, made his comeback to professional cricket in the Ranji Trophy, representing Bengal.
The 34-year-old seamer, playing his first Ranji Trophy match since 2018, showed his class and experience, finishing as Bengal’s standout bowler with figures of 4-54 in 19 overs last week.
Shami was released by Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2025 auction after missing the entire 2024 season with injury. Last year, Shami was the highest wicket-taker in the season with 28 scalps in 17 games.