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Siraj Has Jumped Ahead of Shami In Pecking Order, Feels Ian Bishop
Follow UsShami has looked off-colour in IPL 2025 so far, while Siraj has picked up two Player of the Match awards in a row
There is a massive difference between what Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami have produced in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Siraj is the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with nine scalps at an economy rate of 7.75 while Shami has managed just five wickets, conceding runs at 9.29 an over.
Moreover, Siraj has produced back-to-back Player of the Match performances in the IPL, and his Gujarat Titans (GT) side sit at the second spot in the IPL 2025 points table. Shami's Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are at the bottom, having lost four in a row.
It's safe to say Siraj has acclimatised to his new team and the conditions much better than Shami. As a result, former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop feels Siraj is ahead of Shami in the pecking order.
"Since Shami got that five-wicket haul in the Champions Trophy [against Bangladesh in Dubai], I don't think we have seen that Shami again since then," Bishop said on ESPN Cricinfo.
"He's 34, nearly 35. It was two seasons ago that Siraj got 10 wickets in the powerplay for RCB and only five last year, so his powerplay bowling had dropped off a bit. But he looks better now. If he continues to hit that lengths he is bowling, and uses the seam, he looks, right now, as if he has jumped ahead of Mohammad Shami."
Bishop also feels Siraj offers more across phases. "If Siraj continues bowling like he has done in the last two games, I think he offers slightly more across phases. Whereas Shami is a little bit more orthodox," he added.
Shami was preferred ahead of Siraj in the Champions Trophy recently despite being India's best fast bowler in the last couple of years. Shami, however, justified his inclusion, finishing with nine wickets at 25.88.