Mohammad Shami has not been traded to RCB. The veteran pacer is still contracted to Lucknow Super Giants, and no franchise or BCCI source has confirmed any trade talks.
The buzz around a Shami-to-RCB move traces back to unverified social media chatter, not an official announcement. Here’s what’s actually confirmed, and why this rumour keeps resurfacing.
What Started The Mohammad Shami To RCB Talk
No major cricket outlet has picked up the story yet. Not ESPNcricinfo, not Cricbuzz, not the IPL’s own website. That gap between social buzz and confirmed reporting is usually the first sign a rumour needs more time to cook.
This actually isn’t the first time Mohammad Shami’s name has been linked to RCB.
Back in mid-2025, ahead of the IPL 2026 season, reports floated a possible swap involving Shami moving to RCB while young pacer Rasikh Salam went the other way to SRH.
That swap never happened. RCB kept Rasikh Salam, and he went on to take 19 wickets in IPL 2026 as part of the squad’s title defence. Shami, meanwhile, ended up somewhere else entirely.
Where Mohammad Shami Actually Plays Right Now
Shami is currently a Lucknow Super Giants player. He isn’t a free agent, so any move to RCB would need to happen through the official trade window, not a straightforward signing.
Here’s how he got to LSG in the first place:
- IPL 2025: Bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹10 crore at the mega auction. He managed just 6 wickets in 9 games at an economy of 11.23, a disappointing return by his own standards.
- November 2025: Traded to LSG in an all-cash deal worth ₹10 crore, ahead of IPL 2026.
- IPL 2026: Finished the season with 12 wickets for LSG, playing a key role in a pace attack that also featured Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav.
That trio combined for 29 wickets by early May 2026, and LSG’s pace bowlers had the best economy rate among fast-bowling units that season, at 8.45.
The team around him didn’t hold up its end, though. LSG finished at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table and were eliminated from playoff contention weeks before the season wrapped up.
Mohammad Shami’s IPL 2026 Season Snapshot
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Franchise | Lucknow Super Giants |
| Season wickets | 12 |
| LSG pace attack combined wickets (Shami, Mohsin, Prince Yadav) | 29 |
| LSG bowling unit economy rate | 8.9 |
| Team finish | Bottom of the table, eliminated from playoffs |
Why RCB’s Name Keeps Popping Up
RCB just won back-to-back IPL titles, lifting the trophy in 2025 and again in May 2026 after beating Gujarat Titans in the final. Winning titles usually settles a squad down, but it hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about changes.
The reasoning comes down to age and fitness across RCB’s pace department. Bhuvneshwar Kumar turns 36 just before IPL 2027 begins.
He was RCB’s most reliable bowler in IPL 2026, picking up 28 wickets in 16 matches, the second-highest tally in the competition. Good numbers don’t always settle the age question in T20 cricket, though.
Josh Hazlewood’s situation adds another layer. His economy crept close to 10 during the 2026 season, and recurring injuries kept limiting his availability across the tournament.
Then there’s Yash Dayal, who didn’t play a single IPL 2026 match after being left out of the XI, with his own future at the club still unclear.
Put it all together, and RCB’s pace bowling beyond Rasikh Salam looks a little thin on paper heading into next season. That’s exactly the kind of gap a proven bowler like Shami fills, at least on paper.
RCB’s Pace Attack Heading Into IPL 2027
| Bowler | IPL 2026 Return | Status Heading Into 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 28 wickets in 16 matches | Turns 36 before the season, retention call pending |
| Josh Hazlewood | Economy near 10, injury-hit | Overseas slot debate continues |
| Rasikh Salam | 19 wickets | Breakout season, expected to stay |
| Yash Dayal | Did not play | Future with the club uncertain |
The IPL 2027 Trade Window Timeline
The trade window matters here because that’s the only legal route for a Shami-RCB move, given he’s still under contract with LSG.
According to trade-tracking coverage, the retention window for IPL 2027 opens in mid-September 2026 and closes by the third week of October, with the auction expected around the third week of November.
There’s some disagreement on what kind of auction that will actually be. Since IPL 2025 was a mega auction, and those deals typically lock squads in for three seasons, IPL 2027 should logically be a mini auction. A few trackers still label it a mega auction, so this detail needs official confirmation before publishing.
Trades can happen throughout this period, right up until roughly a week before the auction itself. So there’s a real window where a genuine Shami-RCB deal could still take shape, even if nothing exists today.
Would LSG Even Want To Trade Shami Away
Here’s a detail that works against the rumour. LSG’s own bowling combination suggests they rate Shami highly, not the other way around.
A recent breakdown of LSG’s likely retentions describes Shami, alongside Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav, as one of the bowlers who “performed well” through a rough 2026 season. That’s not the profile of a player heading for the exit door.
If anything, LSG’s rebuild is expected to target their batting and underperforming overseas picks first, not their most consistent Indian pacer.
So while RCB’s need is real, LSG’s willingness to let Shami go is far less obvious right now.
Mohammad Shami’s Career IPL Numbers
For context, here’s where Shami stands across his full IPL career, spanning stints with Kolkata, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Hyderabad, and now Lucknow.
| Career Stat | Figure |
|---|---|
| Matches | 132 |
| Wickets | 145 |
| Bowling average | 29.02 |
| Economy rate | 8.67 |
| Best figures | 4/11 |
| Purple Cap seasons | 2023 (28 wickets for Gujarat Titans) |
His 2023 season with Gujarat Titans remains the high point of his IPL career, and it’s the form franchises still reference when weighing whether to take a chance on him at 36.
So, Is Mohammad Shami Actually Going To RCB?
Not based on anything confirmed so far. The current evidence points to an unverified social media rumour layered on top of genuine roster logic, RCB needs pace depth, and Shami is a proven option.
But wanting a trade and actually completing one are two different things, and IPL history is full of swaps that got talked about for months and never happened. The Rasikh Salam version of this same story from 2025 is proof of that.
Fans hoping for this move should keep an eye on the official retention and trade window dates in September and October. Until either franchise confirms something, treat this as speculation worth watching, not a done deal.
