Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 5 : Mohammed Shami expressed delight and revealed why he relied on slower balls after winning the Player of the Match (POTM) award for his contributions to Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Sunday in Hyderabad.
Shami claimed excellent figures of 2/9 in 4 overs against SRH and helped LSG trigger a top-order collapse from the opposition. While SRH later scored 156/9, it eventually proved under-par as LSG won the match by five wickets. Notably, Shami bowled 18 dot balls in his four-over spell.
Shami won the POTM award for his contributions. Shami said he decided to use slower balls this season, inspired by observing opponents and recalling their frequent use of them last year.
"Last year I was here, a lot of slower balls were bowled. That was in my mind, the bowlers and the opponents bowled a lot of slower balls, so I thought why not I try it too," Shami said at the post-match presentation.
Shami said the win was crucial to regain momentum after the team's previous loss. He emphasised staying in touch with cricket, maintaining fitness, and playing domestic matches to stay in form. He added that success relies on skill, experience and the ability to quickly adapt to conditions.
"We are very happy because we had lost the previous match at home, so it was very important for us to win this match to build momentum. Once you get that start, the winning momentum continues. (on his preparation for this IPL) If you like cricket, and if you want to play at any level, then it is important to be in touch with the game," Shami said.
"If you want to perform at a good level, it's very important to maintain your fitness. First, you have to be fit then you can show your skill. Regarding domestic cricket, my plan was to be in touch with the game, so that I can be in the flow. That's why I played all the matches. (on his changes to his bowling today) Without skill and without experience, nothing works. It's about quickly adapting to the conditions and reading them is very important," he added.
LSG bowlers, led by a clinical Shami, dismantled the SRH top order in a frantic opening spell. Shami struck in the very first over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a two-ball duck. He continued to torment the home side as he also got rid of Travis Head shortly after, in his second over of the spell. Prince Yadav also chipped in with SRH captain Ishan Kishan's wicket to make matters worse for the Hyderabad-based franchise.
By the end of the Powerplay, SRH were reeling at 22/3, which soon became 26/4 when Liam Livingstone (14) was brilliantly caught by a diving Rishabh Pant off the bowling of Digvesh Rathi.
While SRH's Nitish Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen shared a vital 116-run partnership that dragged SRH from the brink of a double-digit total to a competitive score, it did not prove to be enough as the LSG skipper's unbeaten 68* run knock guided the Lucknow-based franchise to a five-wicket win over SRH.