IPL 2021, PBKS vs RR: Mohammed Shami On Cusp Of Joining Elite List of Punjab Kings Bowlers

Mohammed Shami has found a second wind in his IPL career ever since joining Punjab Kings in the year 2019. The India paceman has been one of the rare bright spots in PBKS’ bowling arsenal over the past two seasons and has carried his form into 2021 as well.

Shami has picked 8 wickets in 8 matches this season and his performances have earned him a place in India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup as well. Shami started his PBKS career with a 19-wicket haul in 2019 and followed that up with 20 scalps last season.

His strong impact in Punjab’s bowling department can be gauged from the fact that he has picked up 47 wickets since joining the franchise, which is 28 more than the next best bowler in the team.

On Tuesday, when Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in Dubai, Shami has the chance to become only the fourth bowler ever, after Piyush Chawla (84), Sandeep Sharma (71) and Axar Patel (61), to pick up 50 IPL scalps for the franchise.

The other key aspect of Shami’s bowling in the IPL has been his effectiveness in the death overs. Since 2019, Shami has picked up 29 wickets in the death overs, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of his overall tally.

Promoted

His average of 15.93 in the death overs since 2019 is the fourth best among all bowlers who have bowled 120 balls or more in overs 16 to 20 for their respective teams.

These numbers are testament to Shami’s ability as a T20 bowler and the impact he has had for his team. The paceman would hope to continue in the same vein and help his team reach the knock-out stages of the tournament for the first time since 2014, when they finished runners-up.