Follow Us11, 12.3, 10.3, 7.3, 7, 18.8, 9.3, 9.3 and 16 - these have been Mohammed Shami's economy rates in all his matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season. With an overall economy rate of 11.2, this has been Shami's worst season in the IPL. His average of 56.2 is also the worst since the 2012 edition, where he played just three games.
After having his best season in the IPL in 2023, where he picked up 28 wickets and played a huge role in Gujarat Titans' (GT) run to the final, the ongoing season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is turning out to be a nightmare for the fast bowler. So much so that he has not bowled his full quota of overs in six out of nine matches so far.
If you look at his performance against GT in Ahmedabad on May 2 (Friday), Shami was all over the place. He bowled full tosses, juicy half-volleys, short & wide, as if handing out birthday presents to the batters.
Shami's strength lies in bowling in the powerplay. In 2023, he picked up 17 wickets at 19.4 at an ER of 7.5 - his best on that front in the IPL. Two years down the line, his strength has turned into his weakness with five wickets at 45.2, having conceded runs at a staggering economy of 10.3 an over.
After missing the last season due to an injury that required surgery, Shami made his comeback for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after sweating it out in the domestic circuit. After picking up nine wickets in the tournament, Shami looked set to take on the IPL challenge, and SRH shelled out INR 10 crore to procure his services.
One thing that Shami has lost since the injury is his zip off the pitch - how he hurried batters in playing their shots - something that made him extremely successful at the World Cup. With that, he has also lost a bit of pace.
However, to his credit, he has shown a lot more control against the left-handers, picking up four of his six wickets against the southpaws in the tournament. He has also induced 27% false shots against them. Hitting better lengths against left-handers has not translated into better bowling to the right-handers as well.
Along with Pat Cummins, Shami was to fill the void left behind by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Jaydev Unadkat would have been expected to seamlessly fit in T Natarajan's place, who was SRH's leading wicket-taker last season. However, on both counts, things have not gone to plan. Moreover, SRH would have had high hopes from Harshal Patel, IPL 2024's leading wicket-taker and spent INR 8 crore on him.
Overall, it has been a collective failure from the SRH bowlers, which has led to their downfall. As a result, they find themselves at the wrong end of the table, with the chances of making the playoffs depreciating by the day.
SRH have endured a season to forget, and given how they bowled against GT, a swift turnaround seems a distant dream.