Mohammed Shami bowled an excellent spell to power Lucknow Super Giants to victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL 2026 match on Sunday. The India quick attributed his success to domestic cricket and peak fitness.
Shami returned figures of 2 for 9, which included 18 dot balls as LSG beat SRH by five wickets.
“If you want to play, it’s important to be in touch with the game. If you’re fit only then can you work on your skills. That’s why I kept in touch with the game and played all the domestic games,” Shami said.
The 35-year-old returning from an injury break had a poor IPL season last year playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he claimed six wickets in nine matches at an economy of 11.23.
“I am not a machine. My season can go up and down. I have performed well in the last few years. People have not noticed, that’s different. But I always try to do well,” he said.
“And as far as Bharat (Arun) bhai is concerned, we have worked together in the Indian team for a long time. We have a good bonding. We have a good understanding with each other. So it is very important that the players and staff match well.
“And as far as Lucknow is concerned, it is my second home. So it doesn’t take much time to match up.”
Shami made good use of the slower balls and gave LSG a brilliant start by removing the dangerous duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma cheaply.
“The pitch was the same as it has always been here. Slow type, a little bit sticky type. But with the new ball, your line length is very important,” he said.
“Because we clearly knew that if we give them width or if we give them in the zone, then they will hit both the batsmen hard.
“So it was very important to turn off the pace. And it was very important that they get as little elevation as possible.
Shami continued and highlighted the importance of reading the conditions where he mentioned about adding the slower deliveries to his arsenal.
“But you have to adapt. I was here last year and used a lot of slower ones. Opponents use it a lot, I thought why not us too,” he said.
Talking about his process before any match and tournaments, Shami said: “I do my work and try and leave the rest to Allah. See, whether it is IPL or any good platform, you definitely need to work on skill. So now it depends on how hard you are working on the new ball and on the old ball.
“I have always had the strength of the new ball. So I always think that how much benefit I can bring to my team with the new ball. Or how much good I can put for the team.
“It depends on the day that if your day is good, your bowling is going well, then you have put three balls over. Or if three went well, then put a fourth quickly if your wicket is coming. So that is on planning. But it takes a lot of hard work.”
