Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
At his best, Mohammed Shami has been scintillating, such a joy to watch and quite unplayable. There could be pauses in his journey, but definitely no full stops. And unlike his simple and quiet personality, Shami’s bowling style is hot and spicy with his world recognised style of high octane and distinctive right arm pace bowling earning him the wealth of respect of countless fans. He’s been such a wonderful performer for India all over the years but even in the batting leaning format such as the world famous the IPL, Mohd. Shami has held onto his own. He’s often proven to be unbeatable with his command with the new and old white ball. Whether playing in the day or under lights, Shami has spurred his respective and distinctly talented IPL teams to several wins and been a game changer with the ball in hand.
Having said that, let us pause for a moment to rewind to the scene of some of Mohd Shami’s best ever bowling spells in the Indian Premier League.
Here’s a look at the top three spells of Mohammed Shami in IPL history:
1. Mohammed Shami's 4 for 11 vs DC in IPL 2023
In the 2023 season of the world famous Indian Premier League, Shami collected what can without much ado be described as his best ever bowling spell in the IPL. He would deliver a cracker of a spell against the unassuming Delhi Capitals in a display of fantastic and focused bowling that saw just 11 runs being conceded but at the cost of 4 crucial wickets.
Each of Shami’s wonderful wickets were effective to the cause of his GT team with big names such as Phil Salt, Priyam Garg and Manish Pandey falling victim to the right arm seamer’s controlled and fast spell of bowling.
Why and how Shami’s spell stood out was but simple. All that his team would manage in its pursuit of 131 were 125 runs in the end and Shami’s effort was that of beautiful brutality. He conceded just 11 runs off his 4 over spell whilst wiping out big batters from Delhi’s order.
2. Mohammed Shami's 3 for 21 vs Rajathan Royals in IPL 2021
In the year 2021 whilst playing a significant contest at the noted Dubai International Stadium in the beating heart of the UAE, Mohd Shami bowled to his very best abilities and emerged with a dynamic spell of 3 for 21.
Even as the Rajasthan Royals, in batting first emerged with a 185-run total and won the contest in the end by the barest of margins, their margin of victory being just 2 runs, Shami, on his part, did wonderfully well.
In bowling a great and disciplined spell of 21 for 3 wickets off his full quote of 4 overs, he tried his best to put a brake on RR’s accelerated rate of scoring. Secondly, he cleaned up the powerful lower order of Rajathan for Punjab by removing the dangerous trinity of Chris Morris, Riyan Parag and not to forget, the gritty Rahul Tewatia. That spell must be counted among the 3 best bowling spells of Mohd Shami in the IPL.
3. Mohammed Shami's 4 for 21 vs SRH in IPL 2023
In the year 2023, while playing a vital contest at the decorated Narendra Modi Stadium against the Hyderabad team, Shami claimed a fantastic 4 for whist conceding just 21 runs in a spell of 4 overs.
His gritty and calculated performance for the revered Gujarat Titans unit culminated in a highly respected 34-run-win for his GT team that had originally put a target of 189 for Hyderabad to chase. But in taking the big key wickets of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klassen and Rahul Tripathi, Shami diligently upped the ante of pressure on his opponents ensuring a comfortable victory for the Titans from Gujarat.
It remains one of his best bowling performances ever in the revered IPL.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1. How many matches has Shami played in the IPL?
So far, the able fast bowler has played 119 matches.
Q2. How many IPL wickets has Shami claimed?
Shami has against his name 133 wickets in the cash-rich league.
