IPL 2026: Mohammed Shami dents SRH with breathtaking opening spell
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants pacer Mohammed Shami put up a masterclass in fast bowling in the 2026 IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The speedster made the new ball talk at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, where he dismissed both SRH openers cheaply. He operated with a clear approach, targeting left-handers by angling the ball inward. Shami bowled all his four overs on the bounce, finishing with jaw-dropping figures of 2/9.
Tactical brilliance
Shami's strategy pays off early in innings
Shami's strategy paid off when he dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the first over. He cleverly angled the last ball away from Abhishek, who went for a drive and ended up edging it to M Siddharth at short third. Travis Head (7) was also dismissed similarly, with Shami's lack of pace forcing an error. These strikes reduced SRH to 8/2. Having bowled all his four overs on the bounce, Shami finished with 2/9.
Bowling finesse
54 IPL wickets in the powerplay
Shami's latest performance came after his first IPL 2026 outing against Delhi Capitals, where he returned with figures of 1/28. In that game as well, the pacer trapped opener KL Rahul for a golden duck. With this, Shami has raced to 54 powerplay wickets in IPL at an economy of 7.68, as per ESPNcricinfo. He owns the joint-second-most powerplay wickets in IPL since 2023 (25). While Shami shares the second spot with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Trent Boult (32) tops this list.
Stats
Here are his stats
While two matches aren't enough to determine durability over a full season, Shami's performance has shown continuity. With his latest efforts, the 35-year-old has raced to 136 wickets in 121 IPL matches at an economy of 8.55. This includes two four-wicket hauls. Overall, in the 20-over format, the fast bowler has completed 229 wickets from 185 games with his economy being 8.32.
Twitter Post
Here's how Shami trapped Head!
☝️ Abhishek Sharma
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 5, 2026
☝️ Travis Head
Vintage #MohammadShami! #SRH’s dangerous duo is gone, and #LSG are off to a great start! 🔥#TATAIPL 2026 | #SRHvLSG | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/X6t7Rxs79d pic.twitter.com/CnjvNzYwqv