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Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is spearheading the PBKS bowling attack once again this season and is enjoying his most economical IPL period so far, going at 7.68 runs an over.
In Match 26 of the IPL 2021, Shami will represent the Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (30th April).
Both sides come into this match on the back of contrasting results. RCB are in third place in the points table, with five wins in six games and ten points to their name. Meanwhile, PBKS are in a mid-table tussle, managing only two wins off their six games. The KL Rahul-led side are in sixth place with four points to their name.
Despite spending a significant amount of money at the auction on pace bowlers like Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, PBKS have had to rely on Shami once again. The Indian seamer is looking to help his team find consistency in a season where it has not all gone their way so far.
Shami is the leading wicket-taker for his side with seven wickets so far, level with his younger counterpart Arshdeep Singh. Shami, though, tops the list thanks to his superior economy rate, which is the best for any pacer in the Punjab Kings side.
Mohammed Shami has played 71 matches in his IPL career so far, bagging 67 wickets at strike rate of 22.17 and an economy rate of 8.78. The skiddy pacer has proved to be effective more often than not, clinching timely breakthroughs for his side on numerous occasions.
On that note, let's take a look at Mohammed Shami's best spells in his IPL career.
1. Shami vs DC (4-0-15-3), IPL 2020
Mohammed Shami admirably led the Punjab (then KXIP) pace attack in IPL 2020. He started off his campaign with an excellent 3-wicket haul against DC. Shami dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Shimron Hetmyer in his very first over, hitting the hard lengths.
Bowling inside the powerplay, the right-arm seamer picked 3-0-8-2, before returning in the 14th over to get rid of Shreyas Iyer, as his team restricted DC to just 157/8.
Although they would go on to lose the Super Over in which Shami had the impossible task of defending 3 runs, the Bengal pacer put in a clinical performance and registered his best bowling figures in the IPL in that match.
2. Shami vs MI (4-0-21-3), IPL 2019
IPL 2019 was a crucial year for Shami personally. It was the first time the pacer had taken his wickets tally to double digits in an IPL season, and he ended the campaign with an impressive tally of 19 wickets. Shami registered his then-best bowling figures in the IPL in 2019 as well, with his economical spell at the Wankhede stadium.
Punjab captain KL Rahul set the stage on fire with a blistering century to set Mumbai a mammoth 198 to chase. Shami, as he so often does, struck early in his second over to send Siddhesh Lad back to the pavilion with a yorker. The pacer was held back for the death overs, having given away only four runs in his first two overs.
Coming back into the attack in the 16th over, Shami got the big wicket of Hardik Pandya on the very first delivery, before dismissing his brother, Krunal Pandya, in the very same over. He bowled the 18th over as well, giving only 17 runs off the two overs, and registering his first three-wicket haul in the process.
Unfortunately, Shami's best bowling figures proved to be in vain, as two West Indians, Kieron Pollard and Alzarri Joseph, led the Mumbai Indians over the line, scoring 32 runs off the final two overs.
3. Shami vs KKR (4-0-35-3), IPL 2020
IPL 2020 was Shami's best season in terms of wickets, with 20 wickets to his name. The pitches in Dubai offered some significant zip and bounce to the skiddy pacer as he enjoyed a strong run throughout the tournament.
In the same season, Shami delivered another scorching opening spell against the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the second over of the match, he hit some probing lengths outside off-stump to get rid of Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik in the space of a couple of deliveries, leaving KKR tottering at 10-3.
The medium pacer showed his death-bowling prowess on that day, returning to bowl the penultimate over, and dismissing a well-set Shubman Gill on 57.
Courtesy of that fiery opening spell and some cracking yorkers from Shami towards the end of the innings, KXIP reduced KKR to 149. A Man-of-the-Match knock from Chris Gayle took the Punjab-based franchise home in the end.
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