Hyderabad, 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...