Former Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Dale Steyn said he wanted Mohammed Shami at the franchise when he was performing the coaching role. Steyn worked as the bowling coach for SRH from 2021 to 2024, but Shami was signed by the Orange Army in IPL 2025 mega auction for INR 10 crore.

Shami has struggled with his fitness woes in the last couple of years and many experts think that it would be prudent for SRH to release him before the auction. The veteran fast bowler has scalped 15 wickets in three Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal at an average of less than 16 but he was ignored by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection for the two-match Test series against South Africa.

Speaking to Star Sports, Dale Steyn said, “When I was bowling coach of Sunrisers, I was like, please, can we somehow get Mohammed Shami. And the moment that I wasn’t there, they got him. So, I would be disappointed if you lost him. I think fitness and form play a key role when it comes to the IPL, especially with bowlers. You want bowlers to be fit.”

“You want them to be firing, and if Shami is fit and firing, he’ll make any team. But if he’s been struggling a little bit and he’s had a couple of months off, some teams might say, you know what, there are other players that we would like to come into the team right now because they’re fit. They’re firing, and you would have been good a year and a half. for us, but not right now.”

“So that release might happen. But yeah, 3 years ago when I was there, I was begging for him,” said Steyn.

Shami has all the experience under his belt and he would be determined to once again prove his mettle at the top stage. The last date for retention release is November 15 for all franchises.