NEW DELHI: Former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra has described the trade involving veteran pacer Mohammed Shami — from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) — on IPL 2026 retention day as a surprising development.He also termed Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) call to release West Indies star Andre Russell into the auction pool as a “very risky” decision, just days before the December 16 auction in Abu Dhabi.Shami, bought by SRH for INR 10 crore at the last mega auction in Jeddah, endured a below-par IPL 2025 campaign, managing only six wickets at an average of 56.17 and an economy rate of 11.23 — a steep drop compared to his career IPL numbers of 28.19 and 8.63.
“I think it was of Shami – he’s a wicket-taker for any team, especially in Hyderabad. Good wickets are there and you need a wicket-taker. In terms of releases, Andre Russell was also surprising as releasing him into the auction is a very risky move, as no one can say whether he will go for a cheaper price or not.”“These two developments surprised me as Hyderabad has a wicket where you need a wicket-taker who can bowl under pressure. Hyderabad’s wickets produce around 250-250 runs. You need a bowler (like Shami) who can get you a wicket at the start, put a yorker or bouncer in pressure time. All teams will need an all-rounder, like Andre Russell, in the auction. Teams will especially need either a fast bowler or an all-rounder, as they are in most demand always,” said Mishra. Shami has played 64 Tests, 108 ODIs and 25 T20Is for India and was a member of the 2025 Champions Trophy winning team in the UAE. At LSG, Shami will reunite with bowling coach Bharat Arun, who was in the Indian team in the same role from 2014-2021. In those years, under Arun’s guidance, Shami evolved to become an indispensable part of the highly successful Indian fast bowling line-up.Mishra also felt Shami’s wicket-taking abilities in the powerplay overs can come handy on pitches during LSG’s home games at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. “The only reason Lucknow got Mohammed Shami on board is that he’s a wicket-taking bowler. It will be very good if Shami picks wickets early as he has a very good skills to do so.”“He can bowl good yorkers and if the ball reverses, he can bowl good yorkers and bouncers. Basically, he’s a wicket-taker and Lucknow must have felt the need to get one fast bowler who can take wickets in the starting overs, and Shami has that ability to do it,” he said.Mishra also praised LSG’s decision to retain young speedster Mayank Yadav despite recurring injury concerns, including undergoing a back surgery earlier this year in Christchurch, New Zealand. Mishra, who was in the LSG set-up when Yadav was there for 2023 and 2024 seasons, stressed that fitness management would be crucial for keeping Yadav fit for a longer period.“Regarding Mayank Yadav, he’s young and the most important thing will be his fitness after return. When I was in the Lucknow team for two years, he played 1-2 games, and then got injured. After playing 1-2 more games, he was injured again. Now with the team keeping him and showing their trust in him, he should take it positively and fully focus on his fitness.”“He should try not to get injured whenever he comes on the field. Along with that, his load management and everything else will be taken care of. I will praise Lucknow for keeping him even after his injury. He’s a talented bowler and will stay with them for the next 3-4 years,” he said.Quizzed on LSG’s decision to release leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who had a below-par IPL 2025 after being retained for INR 11 crore, Mishra suggested it could be a calculated financial move to reacquire him at a lower price in the auction.“This is a good thing. If they want him back, then they could bring him for a cheaper price in the auction and save some money. I am sure they will go for him because it will be in their mind to get Bishnoi, but at a cheaper cost. At the same time, they will try to save some money and go for other players who can help them in the upcoming season,” he said.On the broader trend of franchises releasing a few high-profile players, Mishra noted this strategy has become increasingly common in recent years. “That started 2-3 years back. The reason is that the players who are expensive and were let go of in the auction, teams will try to get them back at a cheaper price.”“Many players don’t perform, so you should have an option to get a replacement for a player who was not in form in the IPL. For players like Andre Russell, we all know that teams will try to get them at a cheaper price, or even get their replacements,” he said.When asked which franchises could dominate the upcoming mini auction, Mishra pointed to financial muscle of sides like KKR and Chennai Super Kings, who have an auction purse of INR 64.3 crore and INR 43.4 crore respectively.” Mostly, the core team is always strong. The teams that have more money will dominate in the auction. They have options and the ability to force the other teams to spend more money on a player. You can’t say which team will dominate in the auction, as sometimes you don’t get what you really want. You then have to look for options. And the team that has more money has more options,” he said.Looking ahead to his own involvement in IPL 2026, after ending his playing career earlier this year with 166 scalps in 154 games, including the most hat-tricks by a bowler in the tournament’s history, Mishra signed off by expressing interest in talent identification and nurturing spin bowling talent.“I am open to everything, but I would like to identify some players who can play for India and also perform in the IPL to become an option for the Indian team. I would like to pick 4-5 spinners who could play for India. I can go to the domestic level and if I get a chance, I would like to ready some players for the IPL, especially spinners.”“We didn’t have so many options at that time and now that we do have, I would like to say that players don’t get time to think due to so much cricket happening around. Like, I would talk to them about their skills and mindset. I would like to say that their thoughts should be clear and they should know what is bowling in T20s, one-days and Tests. Whenever I get a chance, I am ready to do it.”
