IPL 2019: One Player From Each Team Who Should Not Have Been Released - Part 1

Delhi Daredevils - Mohammed Shami

Despite the fact that the Delhi Daredevils have released several other seemingly key players, such as Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, and Gautam Gambhir, it is the release of Mohammed Shami which seems to be the most inexplicable, especially considering that they used one of their two available right-to-match cards on him in the previous year's auction.

While it is true that Mohammed Shami has been unspectacular in the past few editions of the IPL for the Delhi Daredevils and that the shortest format of the game has not traditionally been his friend, as a bowler, Shami appears to be in the best place he has ever been in and has also received a recall to India's ODI side.

Even though form in the Test format may not directly translate into performance in the T20 format, it is worth noting that Shami has taken 33 wickets in 8 Tests this year, and has been in red-hot form as a wicket-taking option.

Further, instead of being used at the death the way he has traditionally been, if he was used for his entire quota with the new ball as a wicket-taking option - similar to the way the likes of Umesh Yadav and Deepak Chahar were used in IPL 2018 - he would have far more success and far better numbers.

Therefore, while Shami has not been the most valuable player in the IPL, the Daredevils should not have released him and instead attempted to utilise his services in a better way.