“I was begging for him” - Dale Steyn reveals he wanted Mohammed Shami in SRH during his coaching days

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Dale Steyn has revealed that he requested the team management and think tank team to rope in the ace pacer Mohammed Shami during his days as a coach with the franchise.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports during the first Test between India and South Africa, Steyn also asserted that he would be disappointed if SRH releases Shami, adding that fitness will play a key role in retentions. 

"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,” Steyn told Star Sports.

At the IPL 2025 mega auction, Shami was roped in by the SRH franchise for a whopping price of INR 10 Crore. However, he failed to create an impact, scalping only six wickets in nine games at an average of 56.16.

"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,” he added.

"So that release might happen. But yeah, 3 years ago when I was there, I was begging for him," he concluded.

Interestingly, Shami is set to be traded to the Lucknow Super Giants at the price of INR 10 Crore ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

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