Mohammed Shami has been included in Bengal’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26, marking another big step in his strong domestic comeback after a long injury break.
Shami has been in top form this season and has taken 36 wickets across formats for Bengal cricket team, showing no signs of rust after returning to competitive cricket.
In the Ranji Trophy, the senior pacer has played a key role in Bengal’s unbeaten run. He has picked up 20 wickets in four matches at an average of 18.60, helping Bengal finish on top of Group C with three outright wins.
Shami was also outstanding in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He ended the tournament as Bengal’s leading wicket-taker, grabbing 16 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.93 and leading the attack in pressure situations.
For the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shami will lead a strong three-man pace unit alongside India internationals Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. The trio gives Bengal one of the most experienced fast-bowling attacks in the competition.
The side will be captained by top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, with the squad combining senior players and young talent. Bengal are placed in Elite Group B and will open their campaign against Vidarbha on December 24 in Rajkot.
All of Bengal’s group matches will be played in Rajkot, while the knockout stages are scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from January 12 to 18.
Shami was not selected for the recent India series against South Africa, and there have been questions around his fitness. However, his performances in both red-ball and white-ball domestic cricket have remained consistently strong.
His inclusion in the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad underlines Bengal’s faith in his form and fitness, and adds major depth and experience to their bowling attack for the tournament.
Full Bengal Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Kr Gharami, Sumanta Gupta, Sumit Nag (WK), Chandrahas Dash, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Sayan Ghosh, Ravi Kumar, Aamir Gani, Vishal Bhati, Ankit Mishra.