'Wrong To Contact Players Directly': GT COO Reveals IPL Franchise Approached Mohd Shami For Trade

Gujarat Titans COO Col. Arvind Singh recently revealed in a interview that a franchise from the Indian Premier League (IPL) directly approached Mohammed Shami in an attempt to trade the fast bowler which is against the rules set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Singh expressed disappointment at the trading process and "unfair means" used by the IPL franchise to try and secure Shami's services after Gujarat traded their captain Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians last week.

GT almost lost Shami as well

"Every franchise has the right to go for top players. The wrong part is that if an IPL franchise directly approaches a player. The method is wrong and the GT team management is not happy with the approach.

"The BCCI's rule regarding player trade-odds, how the expression of interest cane be made to BCCI and then they will inform us. Then the franchise decides. This IPL team approached our coaching staff which is wrong. If they wanted the transfer, they could have talked to us upfront. We got to know about the approach later on," Singh told News18.

Pandya wanted to return to MI

Meanwhile, GT team director Vikram Solanki revealed the main reason behind letting Pandya go back to his first franchise MI.

"As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one IPL championship and one appearance in the final.

"He has now expressed a desire to return to his original team Mumbai Indians. We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours," Solanki said.