IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans name Sandeep Warrier as Mohammed Shami's replacement

Mohammed Shami (Pic: AFP)

Gujarat Titans have roped in Kerala medium-pacer Sandeep Warrier as a replacement for injured senior Indian seamer Mohammed Shami, the Indian Premier League said on Wednesday. Shami recently underwent a successful Achilles heel surgery in London for his right heel problem.

He is expected to be undergoing rehabilitation for almost the whole of IPL 2024, thus ruling him out of the entire event. Shami has not played competitive cricket since last year's ODI World Cup final here, which India lost by six wickets against Australia.

As for Warrier, the 32-year-old has played five IPL matches since 2019, grabbing two wickets at an economy of 7.88.

"Shami, the veteran Indian pacer, recently successfully underwent surgery for his right heel problem and is currently recovering," read a statement from IPL. "His replacement, Sandeep Warrier, has so far played 5 IPL 2024 matches and will join GT for his base price of INR 50 Lac."

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GT will be his fourth IPL franchise, having previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. GT will play their IPL 2024 opener against Mumbai Indians on March 24.

The 17th edition of the world's richest cricket league is expected to end close to the June 1 start of the World Cup in the West Indies and United States. Organisers have released only the first two weeks of the IPL schedule so far because it clashes with India's six-week-long general election.

Last season the 10-team IPL lasted eight weeks. "This is a world stage for cricket," IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told AFP on Wednesday, boasting the "quality is above any T20 league in the world". "Not only the Indian players but also the overseas players will be looking to give their best performance in the run-up to the World Cup," Dhumal said.

(With agency inputs)