Mohammed Shami's participation in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia seems uncertain as he returns to the Bengal squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali (SMA T20) Trophy. He was named in the 20-member Bengal squad, which was announced on Monday. Following an impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh, where he took 7 wickets and played a key role with the bat. 

The IPL mega auction is scheduled for November 24-25 in Jeddah. Ahead of that, on 23rd November, Bengal will play their first match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Punjab in Rajkot. Shami will utilise this opportunity to improve his standing in the auction, with all IPL teams eager to acquire his services.

Meanwhile, Bengal’s T20 captaincy has gone to Sudip Gharami, who led the team last season. Although there was some discussion around Sudip Chatterjee and even Shami taking up the role, Gharami's leadership was confirmed. 

While Shami was also sought out for the captaincy role, his potential unavailability for the entire tournament, as he could be called up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Additionally, Bengal has included left-arm pacer Kanishk Seth and promising Under-23 player Priyas Roy Barman, who is also part of the IPL auction.