On Saturday, November 22, Bengal announced their team for the forthcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025–26. Shami, an out-of-favor India bowler, made a major comeback. Under the leadership of captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, Bengal’s 17-man team now includes the seasoned fast bowler and fellow seamer Akash Deep.
After recuperating from a leg ailment that had prevented him from playing, Shami has presented a strong case for inclusion. With an outstanding economy rate of 2.56 and a strike rate of 43.00, the seasoned bowler took 20 wickets in seven innings during the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 first phase. His best performances occurred in the first two games, when he took 15 wickets and was instrumental in Bengal’s back-to-back victories over Gujarat and Uttarakhand.
Crucially, Shami is healthy and ready to try to return to the Indian squad after playing in four of Bengal’s five Ranji matches thus far.
He last made an appearance during India’s victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, marking a long absence from international cricket. Shami was not selected for either the current Test series against South Africa or the recent white-ball series in Australia, despite his exceptional Ranji results. After SRH trades him out, he will play for LSG in the 2026 Indian Premier League.
Important players like Shakir Habib Gandhi and Abishek Porel are also a part of the Bengal team. For this season’s domestic tournament, the team has been assigned to Group C. On November 26, they will play Baroda in Hyderabad to kick off their season. Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Services, Puducherry, and Haryana are among the other teams in the group.
The Bengali team for the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (Cap), Yuvraj Keswani, Abishek Porel (WK), Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Sudip Gharami, Priyanshu Srivastav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pradipta Pramanik, Writtick Chatterjee, Karan Lal, Saksham Chaudhary, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth, Yudhajit Guha, and Shreyan Chakraborty
India
