Best Bowling Performances of Mohammed Shami in IPL
Mohammed Shami’s career in IPL so far has been pretty far away from what the pacer would have wanted it to be. Firstly, he never really got nailed into a first-choice XI barring a few seasons. He also had to deal with injuries and to add to that, Shami has never been as impressive in IPL as he in longer formats of the game.
This forced many into believing that Shami’s limited overs career lacks any real prospect. But things changed a couple of years ago when he made a brilliant comeback in the national colours. This earned him an INR 4.8 crores contract with Kings XI Punjab. Since then, Shami has been fairly effective.
5 Best Bowling Performances of Mohammed Shami in IPL
Let us have a look at the Top Bowling Performances of Mohammed Shami in IPL:
5. 2/36 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mohammed Shami got 8 opportunities in 2017, but could only pick up 5 wickets. He was below satisfactory in almost all games, except this one between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Batting first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Hyderabad got off to a fantastic start with both David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan going all guns blazing.
Mohammed Shami provided the first breakthrough in the 6th over when he clean bowled David Warner. A few overs later, he dismissed another overseas superstar in Kane Williamson. Though Shami was expensive in this game, his two crucial wickets were of immense help in Delhi Capitals’ win.
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4. 2/34 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
The next entry on our list of top 5 bowling performances of Mohammed Shami in IPL is from the 2016 season. Just like 2017 season, Shami got 8 opportunities here as well, and again could not pick up more than 5 wickets. But a glimpse of his ability was caught when Delhi Capitals travelled to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After losing Chris Gayle in the first over, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers set up a 107-run second-wicket partnership. It was finally broken in the 12th over when Shami got the better of his national side’s captain Virat Kohli. His second wicket came in form of Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, in the 17th over. Here again, Delhi emerged as the winners.
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3. 2/27 vs Delhi Capitals
This is a game from last season, where Shami played for Kings XI Punjab. This particular spell came against his former side when Delhi Capitals met KXIP at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Batting first, KXIP put up a competitive total of 166.
Shami was not alive in the bowling attack, until when it mattered the most. He found his rhythm right at the business end, and his first wicket was the dangerous Rishabh Pant. In his next over, he handed Delhi with a killer blow as he got the wicket of Hanuma Vihari. As expected, his side won this game.
Read More: Best Bowling Performances of Trent Boult in IPL
2. 2/17 vs Chennai Super Kings
Given that Shami’s performance in 2019 was significantly better than the previous seasons, it is obvious that most of the mentions on our list of top 5 bowling performances of Mohammed Shami in IPL will be from this season. This spell came when Kings XI Punjab faced Chennai Super Kings at the IS Bindra Stadium last year.
Batting first, Chennai Super Kings had a fantastic start. Here again, Shami did not come alive until the very end. His two victims in this game were Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav. But it’s his impressive economy rate of under 6 runs per over which was more impressive, and it helped Punjab restrict CSK to 170 and eventually win the game.
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1. 3/21 vs Mumbai Indians
Given that Shami’s IPL debut came in 2009, it is indeed strange that his first 3-wicket haul came only in last season. It was a game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium. Batting first, Punjab scored a mammoth 197.
Mumbai Indians went off to a quickfire start, but Shami soon turned tables on them when he dismissed opener Siddhesh Lad in the 4th over. His next wicket came only in the 16th over, but this time he picked up two crucial wickets in the same over. Both the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, were the victims. He also conceded only 21 runs from his 4 overs. The irony is that while the other performances were enough to secure a victory, Shami’s only 3-wicket haul ended up going to waste as Indians won the game.
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