Mohammed Shami Makes IPL History with Record First-Ball Wicket
Historic Debut for Mohammed Shami
In a remarkable debut for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mohammed Shami made headlines by taking the wicket of KL Rahul with his very first delivery against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1. Despite the team's loss, Shami's performance was a highlight, as he helped secure four wickets during the powerplay, leaving the opposition struggling at 25-4, alongside impressive contributions from Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav. Shami joined LSG ahead of the 2026 season through a trade after a challenging season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he had an uncharacteristically poor performance. He is currently earning ₹10 crores at LSG, matching the amount he was acquired for during the 2025 IPL Mega Auction.
Shami's Unprecedented Achievement
Mohammed Shami Creates History
Shami has now etched his name in IPL history by becoming the first bowler ever to claim a wicket on the first ball of the innings five times. While this marks the 34th instance of a batter being dismissed on the first delivery of their team's innings, no other bowler has managed to achieve this feat more than twice.
Most First Ball Dismissals in IPL
| Number Of Times | Bowler |
| 5 | Mohammed Shami |
| 2 | Lasith Malinga, Dirk Nannes, Trent Boult, Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| 1 | Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Brett Lee, Ishant Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Jaydev Unadkat, Jagadeesha Suchith, Ashok Dinda, Kevin Pietersen, Alfonso Thomas, Marlon Samuels, Sohail Tanvir, Tushar Deshpande, Jofra Archer, Chaminda Vaas, Liam Livingstone |
Additionally, Shami's record of five first-ball wickets in a single spell is the highest in IPL history, with no other bowler achieving this more than three times, despite 66 recorded instances.
Shami Joins Elite Company
Shami has also become the second bowler in IPL history to dismiss the same batter on the first ball of an innings twice, a feat previously accomplished only by Lasith Malinga, who dismissed Mayank Agarwal on two occasions (2011 and 2015). This achievement highlights Shami's prowess, as he has now dismissed Rahul twice while representing different franchises, with their first encounter occurring during Shami's debut for Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022 against LSG.