Indian ace cricketer Mohammed Shami is in the middle of a net war on social media after Blasters captain and former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar downplayed Shami’s worth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. The controversy started when Manjrekar, commenting on a sports channel, opined that Shami wasn’t fit to play, which might affect his price in the auction. Shami did not make this prediction palatable since he had to use social media to express his displeasure.

On Instagram, Shami could not let go of the jibe and dismissed Manjrekar as “Baba ji” and advised him to save some of it for himself for the next time. The exact text of the cricketer’s post that went viral in no time said in part: “If anyone wants to know their future, do contact Baba Ji,” the way he mimicked Manjrekar pretending to predict his auction value. This public aggression has gotten the attention of cricket lovers and media today to criticize the tension that usually exists between the players and the commentators.

The crux of Manjrekar’s comments was focused on Shami’s fitness history and the time he took to recuperate. The commentator had said, “I think there will be interest from teams, but given Shami’s bowling injuries — and this one was a serious one that took a long time to come back from — there is always the fear of a collapse during the season.” These remarks were made in relation to the IPL auction, which is scheduled to be held soon and in which player price actually plays a very crucial role in shaping one’s career and earnings.

The event has led to a more general debate about the role of commentators in the game and particularly as far as possible impact on the overall player markets in the money-spinning domestic T20 leagues. Most fans have supported Shami, applauding him for speaking against what they think are unsubstantiated complaints. Some people have stood in for Manjrekar, saying that as a commentator, it is in order for him to analyze the game and make predictions depending on the information made available. The controversy has revealed that the most discussed topic in public is related to the player’s career and how comments made can affect his or her value in the market.

This conflict takes place when Shami is gearing up for his international return, which gives him an additional advantage in the conflict. It is a fast bowler, an essential figure in the Indian national team, and has demonstrated high results in previous booths of IPL. His response towards Manjrekar belies this and shows he is fully confident in his abilities and willing to make any doubters eat their words during the auction and IPL season that will follow.

IPL mega auction is scheduled to be held in Jeddah Saudi Arabia in which players’ price tags can have a dramatic influence on their life changing career. Since billions of dollars are involved such comments from personalities in the cricket fraternity are capable of influencing owners of the various teams and their bidding strategies. This episode is a reminder that players feel under immense pressure and have to endure lots of pressure and stress leading to such important occasions.

Looking at the way the cricketing fraternity and other vital personalities in society have responded to this public spat, one has to ask why players cannot leave media personalities alone at a time when social media has become the order of the day. Compared to other sports that have been taken over by social media, players of football can directly engage with anybody who comments about them on Instagram certainly within the shortest time possible thanks to the immediacy of the platform; thus, public altercations among the players are not unusual. From this incident, topics related to the job of the commentators and the freedom of players to answer perceived attacks may be raised.

It could be expected that the scandal will remain in the air as the IPL auction is close to being held. BCCI authorities and the viewers of the Indian cricket team will have to keep their fingers crossed to analyze how this exchange will influence Shami’s image in the auction and whether this can influence his play during the IPL season. In any case, this event reveals essential interactions between cricket and the media along with social profiles that may determine the future of professional players.