Former Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath urged the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to release ace pacer Mohammed Shami ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The retention deadline for the teams to submit their released and retained players is Saturday, November 15.Shami endured a dismal maiden season with the SRH this year, after the franchise acquired him for ₹10 crores. The 35-year-old picked up only six wickets in nine matches at an average of over 56 and an economy of 11.23.The veteran has also seemingly gone out of favor with the Indian side across all formats, after playing in the Champions Trophy earlier in the year.Talking about SRH potentially releasing Shami ahead of the auction, Badrinath said on Star Sports:"The one name I see in SRH straightway is Mohammed Shami (for releasing). Shami purely because of his fitness. Mohammed Shami is on the down slide. In fact if I was sitting at the auction table, I won't even go for Mohammed Shami. He has not played cricket at all and fitness is not his forte. So they'll release him straightaway. With that they'll get a huge amount of Rs. 10 crores."Shami aside, Badrinath believes SRH should retain most of the remaining players in the squad."Apart from that, for the brand of cricket they play, this is a superb team. I don't think they need to change anything else. They've a superb captain with a great top order. They just need to find the right combination," he stated.After a stunning final run in 2024, SRH had a down 2025 season, finishing sixth with only six wins in 13 completed matches."All teams will think a lot before releasing a big name" - Subramaniam BadrinathSubramaniam Badrinath believes most franchises will guard against releasing too many big names ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, even if they may seem high-priced. In the mega auction a year ago, several teams invested heavily in certain names, only for the move to backfire in some cases."All teams will think a lot before releasing a big name. Because releasing them creates a lot of insecurity for the franchise on whether they'll get someone suited to that role. We look at the price number but teams look only at the player and the position," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).The IPL 2026 auction is likely to happen a month after the retention deadline in the middle of December.