SRH Assistant coach backs Mohammed Shami to find his form back vs KKR in Kolkata-OxBig News Network

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) assistant coach Ryan Cook has backed Mohammed Shami to come good in their upcoming fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, April 3 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Shami hasn’t had a memorable beginning to the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), having picked just two wickets from three games and has leaked runs at an economy of 11.22.

Shami is making a comeback to the IPL after missing the last season due to an injury. However, despite his poor run, Ryan Cook has full faith that the veteran seamer will come good against KKR at the Eden Gardens, which is also the home ground of his domestic team.

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“Mohammad Shami is an excellent bowler and has proved himself for many, many years. This pitch will suit him. It shows that a good length here is exactly what is needed. So looking forward to watching him bowl tomorrow,” Cook said in the pre-match press conference.

Shami won the purple cap in IPL 2023 for finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 28 scalps from 17 matches. He was released by Gujarat ahead of the mega-auction for the ongoing season and was bought by SRH for Rs 10 crore.

Meanwhile, Ryan Cook also praised wrist-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who picked up a three-wicket haul on his IPL debut against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their previous fixture. Cook extolled him for his exploits in the warm-up games and backed him to continue his good run in upcoming games.

“Zeeshan’s been fantastic, you know, he’s really impressed in the camp, in the warm-up games, and then obviously in the game the other night, picking up 3 wickets on debut. So, I’m sure he should be able to get another run in the next couple of games,” he added.

IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH Build up

SRH will be desperate to end their losing streak against KKR, who’ve beaten them in the previous four matches played between the two teams. The defending champions also hold the upper hand in the head-to-head records between the two sides with 19 wins out of 28 games. The Pat Cummins-led side will also be up for revenge for the final of the previous season.