(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer (COO) Colonel Arvinder Singh raised the issue of player poaching in the Indian Premier League (IPL), hinting that a team tried to rope in fast-bowler Mohammad Shami by unfair means.
Gujarat Titans were recently rocked with the biggest IPL trade ever as their trophy-winning captain Hardik Pandya expressed his desire to go back to Mumbai Indians and eventually was transferred to them in an all-cash deal.
As the franchise is still recovering from Pandya’s exit, their COO Arvinder made a shocking disclosure, sharing that a team approached Shami directly for a trade.
The IPL governing council has laid a rule that no franchise can negotiate a trade deal directly with a player and if they do not follow this, they could bear the consequences.
“See, every team has the right to take good players to make their team stronger. Mohammed Shami has done well for us, won the purple cap holder last season, he performed well in the World Cup. He is a very important part of our team. The wrong thing is when some franchises directly approach players. The BCCI has made a procedure for trading. There is an expression of interest that goes to BCCI and it is subsequently shared to the concerned franchise, who can then they take a call whether to go on with the trade or not,” Arvinder said as quoted to News18.
Shami has been a hot commodity ever since he set the World Cup 2023 ablaze, ending the tournament as the highest wicket-taker. He also won the Purple Cap in the IPL 2023 and took the Titans to the final.