Gujarat Titans' pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has been reportedly ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 due to an ankle injury. The right-arm pacer is set to undergo surgery to his ankle in the United Kingdom (UK) and hence the 2022 winners will have to look for an ideal replacement for the veteran seamer.
As per a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), the 33-year-old speedster recently visited the United Kingdom (UK) to consult doctors about his injury and was recommended to go under the knife.
"Shami was in London in last week of January to take special ankle injections and he was told that after three weeks, he can start light running and take it from thereon," a BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"But the injection hasn't worked and now the only option left is surgery. He will shortly leave for UK for surgery. IPL seems out of question," he added.
Shami's absence is surely going to dent the Titans' bowling attack as he finished the 16th season of the lucrative tournament as the leading wicket-taker and claimed the purple cap.
PTI's source further revealed that Shami should have undergone surgery by now instead of seeking medical help at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
"Shami should have gone directly for surgery and that should have been NCA's call. Just two months of rest and injections wouldn't have worked well and that's what has happened. He is an asset and the Indian team would need him in Australia," the source told PTI.
Gujarat Titans updated squad for IPL 2024:
Shubman Gill (c), David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Robin Minz.
