Bengal T20 League: Veteran pacer Mohammad Shami stole the spotlight in the Bengal T20 League after becoming the first player in the tournament’s history to claim a hat-trick. Representing Servotech Siliguri Strikers in his first appearance of the season, Shami delivered a match-winning spell against Shrachi Rarh Tigers and helped his side register a memorable victory.
What made the achievement even more noteworthy was the timing. Shami’s hat-trick came just a day after the BCCI announced India’s T20I squads for the Ireland and England series, as well as the Asian Games 2026, with the experienced fast bowler not finding a place in either squad.
The iconic Eden Gardens witnessed another vintage Shami performance on Saturday. The veteran struck in the 16th over, dismissing his Lucknow Super Giants teammate Shahbaz Ahmed on the fourth ball before removing Rohit Kumar and Dipanjan Mukherjee off successive deliveries to complete a stunning hat-trick.
Shami finished with impressive figures of 4/27 from his four overs, while Karan Lal also chipped in with 3/36 as Servotech Siliguri Strikers secured a convincing 24-run win over Shrachi Rarh Tigers.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, the Strikers posted a formidable 208/4 in 20 overs. Vishal Bhati led the charge with a brilliant 86 off just 46 deliveries, an innings that included six sixes and five fours. Pramod Chandila then provided the finishing touches with an unbeaten 36 off 16 balls, helping the team cross the 200-run mark.
In reply, the Tigers fought hard but could only manage 184/9 in their 20 overs. Shuvam Dey Sr top-scored with 48 off 25 balls, while Rahul Prasad contributed 44 off 26, but their efforts were not enough to prevent defeat.
Shami’s IPL 2026 Campaign
Mohammad Shami endured a mixed IPL 2026 season with the Lucknow Super Giants. The experienced pacer started the tournament strongly but struggled to maintain consistency as the campaign progressed. He finished with 12 wickets in 13 matches, while the Rishabh Pant-led side ended the season at the bottom of the points table.
India T20I Squads Announced Without Shami
Despite his strong showing in domestic cricket, Shami was not included in India’s T20I squad for the Ireland and England series, nor in the squad for the Asian Games 2026.
India T20I Squad (vs Ireland & England): Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.
India Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi.
