Sanjeev Goenka's franchise Lucknow Super Giants shared a special story as veteran India seamer Mohammad Shami scored a quick-fire, boundary-filled half-century for Bengal in their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Andhra. The lower-order player added more trouble for the opposition, helping the team reach a huge first innings total of 629, after Sudip Kumar Gharami scored an amazing 299.

Mohammad Shami came to bat after Akash Deep got out in the 192nd over on Day 4 of the match. He scored his first run with a boundary off the second ball, which was his only run in the first 10 balls. After that, he attacked Shaik Rasheed and Tripurna Vijay, hitting seven boundaries in the next 10 balls, including four in a row in the 197th over.

Shami reached his fifty with a stunning six off Saurabh Kumar, before getting out for 53 runs off 33 balls in the 200th over. His innings had seven fours and three sixes, with only seven runs not coming from boundaries.

Also read -Bengal cricketer Sudip Kumar Gharami dismissed for 299 against Andhra in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Quarterfinal

Shami bhai with the bat down the order 🤌🔥 pic.twitter.com/6bFuCQtSWf

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) February 9, 2026

Shami’s Past First-Class Performances

Before this, Mohammad Shami had scored two first-class fifties. His highest score was an unbeaten 56 off 70 balls on Day 5 of the second Test against England at Lord's in 2021. His other fifty came in England during the 2014 tour at Trent Bridge, which was only his seventh Test match.

Earlier in 2025-26, Shami had shown his batting skills for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy second leg.

The 35-year-old pacer is known to be useful with the bat in the lower order because of his ability to hit big shots. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Assam, he scored a quick 25 off 11 balls, which included three fours and a six.

Shami continues to play in the domestic circuit after recovering from a long-term injury. The Indian selectors have not picked him for the national team since the 2025 Champions Trophy win. In the ongoing Ranji season, he is Bengal's second-highest wicket-taker, with 28 wickets at an average of 17.78.

With the IPL 2025 continuing from Saturday, 17th May, after a short suspension due to the military rift between India and Pakistan, seven franchises are still in the pool for the playoff spots. This pause and the forthcoming restart have led to a revised schedule of remaining fixtures. The timetable for the pending 17 matches has been communicated to all the teams, and the games have been shifted to just six venues, making it a hectic ten odd days ahead until the final day on the 3rd of June. Questions loom large on the balance of the squads, considering players' availability, their form, and international commitments. 

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), led by India's talismanic wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, have had a topsy-turvy season so far. They have failed to click as a unit on the majority of the occasions, and their skipper has not yet come into form. Nicholas Pooran, on whose batting prowess LSG managed to win their initial games, has unfortunately lost form too. With a top-heavy side, LSG need to rely on their Indian crop of batters more than ever. Their bowling has been good and needs to continue from where they left off. It'll be interesting to see if this break brings any reversal of poor form for the Sanjeev Goenka-owned team. 

See Also: IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians sign in Sri Lankan all rounder for remainder of tournament

LSG’s Qualification scenario for IPL 2025 Playoffs.

Matches Played: 11, Points: 10, NRR: -0.469

Upcoming Matches: Home – SRH (19^th May), RCB (27^th May); Away – GT (22^nd May)

Best Possible Finish: 16 points

 The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are struggling for momentum, having lost three in a row and four of their last five fixtures. The best they can do now is win the three remaining matches, finish on their maximum possible 16 points, and hope that one or more of the in-form teams suffer a sudden reversal of fortunes. If they lose another match, though, they will be eliminated.

They first play at home against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and would hope for a victory there. Their next and the last couple of league matches seem tough as they are against the in-form teams of the current season - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT). It would be tough to gather points in them. Their terrible Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.469 doesn't help their cause either.