Key takeaways
- Shami took 24 wickets in 7 matches at the 2023 World Cup, the most in the tournament.
- He had left Achilles tendon surgery in London on 26 February 2024.
- He returned for Bengal in November 2024 and won the Champions Trophy with India in March 2025.
- As of October 2026, he plays for Bengal and has not played for India since 9 March 2025.
Mohammed Shami’s comeback has been long and uneven. After taking 24 wickets at the 2023 World Cup, he had Achilles surgery in February 2024, returned through the Ranji Trophy in November 2024 and won the Champions Trophy with India in March 2025. As of October 2026, he is playing for Bengal but has not been picked for India since.
Here is the full timeline, from the World Cup run that made him a national hero to where he stands now, with every number checked against match reports.
Mohammed Shami at the 2023 World Cup: match by match
Shami did not play India’s first four matches of the 2023 World Cup. Hardik Pandya’s ankle injury against Bangladesh opened a spot, and Shami took it with a five-wicket haul in his first game.
From there, he became the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches, at an average of 10.70 and a strike rate of 12.2.
| Match | Venue | Figures |
|---|---|---|
| vs New Zealand | Dharamshala | 5/54 |
| vs England | Lucknow | 4/22 |
| vs Sri Lanka | Mumbai | 5/18 |
| vs South Africa | Kolkata | 2/18 |
| vs Netherlands | Bengaluru | 0/41 |
| Semi-final vs New Zealand | Mumbai | 7/57 |
| Final vs Australia | Ahmedabad | 1/47 |
| Total | 7 matches | 24 wickets |
The semi-final spell
The 7/57 against New Zealand at the Wankhede is the best bowling by an Indian in ODIs and in World Cups. In that match he also became the fastest bowler to 50 World Cup wickets, in just 17 innings, and the first Indian to reach that mark.
The Sri Lanka game was another big moment. His 5/18 in a 302-run win made him India’s leading wicket-taker in World Cup history, moving past Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath.
The final
In the final at Ahmedabad, Shami removed David Warner early but finished with 1/47 from seven overs. Australia won by six wickets. It was the end of a campaign in which he took three five-wicket hauls and one four-wicket haul.
The injury: playing through pain
What most fans did not know during the World Cup was that Shami was bowling with an ankle problem. Reports later said he had trouble with his landing during the tournament and kept playing through the pain.
He went to London in January 2024 for injections, but they did not work. On 26 February 2024, he had surgery on his left Achilles tendon in London. The recovery period was set at a minimum of three months.
What Mohammed Shami missed after surgery
The surgery wiped out almost a full year of cricket. In that period, he missed:
- IPL 2024: The only IPL season he has missed since 2013. He was with Gujarat Titans at the time.
- T20 World Cup 2024: India won the title in June without him.
- Home Tests in 2024: The series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
- Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: He was left out of the squad for the Australia tour.
Mohammed Shami comeback timeline
Shami’s return happened step by step: domestic cricket first, then white-ball cricket for India, then a period out of the side.
- 13 to 16 November 2024, Ranji Trophy return: Playing for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, he bowled 43.2 overs in the match. He took 4/54 and 3/102, scored 36 runs and helped Bengal win by 11 runs.
- Late 2024, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: He took 14 wickets for Bengal in the T20 tournament, as per Wisden.
- January to February 2025, England series: Recalled for the white-ball series at home. He took three wickets in the T20Is and 2/104 across two ODIs. His last T20I was on 2 February 2025 in Mumbai.
- February to March 2025, Champions Trophy: His 5/53 against Bangladesh in Dubai made him the fastest Indian to 200 ODI wickets, in 104 matches. He finished as India’s joint-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets, and India won the title.
- 9 March 2025, final against New Zealand: He bowled nine overs for 74 runs and took one wicket. This is still his last match for India.
- IPL 2025: A tough season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, with six wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 11.23.
Why Shami was left out of the India team
After the Champions Trophy, Shami was not picked for the Test tour of England in 2025 or the ODI series in Australia in October 2025. Then-chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Shami would have been on the plane to England had he been fully fit, and that his form in domestic cricket would be watched.
Shami said selection was not in his hands and that his job was to stay ready and play matches. The public back and forth between the two became one of the bigger Indian cricket talking points of late 2025.
Back in the Ranji Trophy: 2025-26 season
Shami answered with the ball. In Bengal’s opening Ranji Trophy game of 2025-26, against Uttarakhand in October 2025, he took 3/37 and 4/38 in a win.
He kept going through the season, finishing with 37 wickets in seven matches, as reported by National Herald. He also hit a quick fifty for Bengal against Andhra in the quarter-final.
The move to Lucknow Super Giants
In November 2025, Sunrisers Hyderabad traded Shami to Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2026, for Rs 10 crore. Lucknow’s official site noted that he had 133 IPL wickets at the time.
His first game for Lucknow was a good one. On 5 April 2026, he took 2/9 against Sunrisers in Hyderabad, removing openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head early. Across IPL 2025 and IPL 2026, he took 18 wickets in 22 matches while going at about 10 runs an over, according to National Herald.
What the numbers say about his comeback
The figures point in two directions. With the red ball, Shami has been among Bengal’s most reliable bowlers since his return, with seven wickets in his first match back and 37 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji season.
In T20 cricket, the returns have been weaker. An economy rate of around 10 across two IPL seasons is high for a frontline pacer, and selectors have mostly looked at younger options in white-ball squads.
Mohammed Shami latest status: October 2026
As of 13 October 2026, Shami is 36 and playing in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He has not played for India since the Champions Trophy final in March 2025.
The debate around him picked up again this month after Bhuvneshwar Kumar was recalled to India’s T20I squad after four years for the New Zealand series. R Ashwin said the recall shows Shami’s door is not shut, while Dinesh Karthik felt India have moved on.
Shami’s own response, reported by Outlook India on 10 October 2026, was calm. He said Bhuvneshwar’s selection did not concern him, that he had proved his fitness with Bengal over the last two to three years, and that missing out on India again would be “not my loss”.
National Herald has reported that Pragyan Ojha is now the interim head of the selection panel after Agarkar. India have mostly backed younger pacers like Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna in ODIs, with the 2027 World Cup in South Africa the next big target.
| Quick facts | Details |
|---|---|
| 2023 World Cup | 24 wickets in 7 matches, leading wicket-taker |
| Surgery | Left Achilles tendon, London, 26 February 2024 |
| Domestic return | Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh, Indore, November 2024 (7 wickets) |
| International return | England T20Is, January 2025 |
| Last India match | Champions Trophy final, 9 March 2025 |
| Ranji Trophy 2025-26 | 37 wickets in 7 matches |
| IPL team (2026) | Lucknow Super Giants |
| Status (October 2026) | Playing for Bengal, not in India squads |
Frequently asked questions
How many wickets did Mohammed Shami take in the 2023 World Cup?
He took 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70, the most by any bowler in the tournament. His best was 7/57 in the semi-final against New Zealand.
When did Mohammed Shami have surgery?
He had surgery on his left Achilles tendon in London on 26 February 2024. It ruled him out of IPL 2024 and the T20 World Cup that year.
When did Mohammed Shami make his comeback?
He returned to competitive cricket for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh on 13 November 2024, taking seven wickets. His India comeback came in the England T20I series in January 2025.
When did Mohammed Shami last play for India?
His last match for India was the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on 9 March 2025, which India won.
Is Mohammed Shami playing for India now?
No. As of October 2026, he is playing domestic cricket for Bengal and has not been picked in an India squad since March 2025.
Sources: Onmanorama on the surgery, Wisden, Outlook India, National Herald.
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