On Saturday, Indian No. 2 and No. 3 pacers, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj came up with performances which are rather alarming. First, Siraj returned with figures of 0/50 in his four overs in the LSG vs GT match, and then Shami followed it up with the second-most expensive spell in the history of IPL, where he leaked 75 runs in his four overs vs PBKS.
Mohammed Shami + Mohammed Siraj = 0/125
This is the Indian duo, who would be in-charge of the Indian pace attack in the tour of England, along with Jasprit Bumrah, and these are not good signs at all. Let us forget about Siraj for a moment, who still has 10 wickets in 6 matches in IPL 2025, but Shami’s form isn’t just a concern anymore, but has become a liability for his team SRH.
This year, the 34-year-old has played 5 matches, where he has picked up 5 wickets only, given 158 runs, average has been 31, and economy is way over 9. So, where does 0/75 put him in the “all time most expensive spells in IPL?” For starters he is second on the list after Jofra Archer, who came up with 0/76 vs SRH last month only.
| Bowlers | Most Expensive Spells |
| Jofra Archer | 0/76 |
| Mohammed Shami | 0/75 |
| Mohit Sharma | 0/73 |
| Basil Thampi | 0/70 |
Forget SRH, Big Concern for Team India
As far as the Indian bowlers is concerned, Mohammed Shami tops the list. The next Indian on the list is Mohit Sharma, who gave away 73 runs last year, followed by Basil Thampi, returning with figures of 0/70. Forget IPL for a moment now; where does this bowling performance by our fast bowlers put us, in context of the England series.
If Jasprit Bumrah isn’t a 100%, and won’t play all the matches there, Siraj is blowing hot and cold with each passing day, and Shami is only bowling mediocrely, then half the battle is already lost, a couple of months before the series starts. Other pacer Akash Deep has three in three, at an economy of 12.18; that puts the India team no where, who have lost their last two Test series, at home and away.
