SKM Salem Spartans was the primary group to be dominated out of the playoffs after ending final within the factors desk with solely a sole win in seven matches. Nevertheless, its medium-pacer M. Poiyamozhi completed because the season’s high wicket-taker (16 wickets) to win the purple cap within the 2024 version of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
Poiyamozhi reveals similarity to Dwayne Bravo when it comes to the amount of slower deliveries he bowls. For example, within the first two legs of TNPL 2023 at Coimbatore and Dindigul, 85 per cent of the entire deliveries he’d bowled have been slower ones.
Naturally, that invitations questions on Poiyamozhi being weak as batters would, by default, anticipate what sort of bowls he would bowl in most cases.
He reveals what he did to one-up the batters this time.
“I took a cue from Mustafizur Rahman’s bowling from the newest IPL season. I watched CSK matches and noticed that he stored switching between bowling from over and across the wicket,” he advised Sportstar in a telephonic interview on Wednesday (August 14).
“For example, I acquired Shahrukh Khan’s wicket in our final league match by switching to bowl from across the wicket,” he added.
The match he referred to had a tense end. With 4 for 28, he helped his group drag the sport, which it will definitely misplaced by one wicket, until the top. Chasing 172, Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) had performed itself right into a place the place an explosive innings was wanted. Skipper Shahrukh Khan (50, 18b, 1×4, 6×6) obliged with the quickest fifty of the season (17b). His pictures got here off on the proper moments.
If it hadn’t been for Poiyamozhi, Shahrukh would have conveniently closed the match. After Shahrukh had picked up his slower off-cutter from over the wicket to smoke a long-on six on the primary ball of his final over, he bowled a slower supply huge off the batter from huge of the crease from across the wicket on the final ball. Consequently, Shahrukh holed out to lengthy off.
The variety of slower bowls from him was comparatively fewer deliveries in 2023. “I combined it up quite a bit with yorkers and seam-up. That approach, the sudden slower ball turned much more misleading. This fashion, I’ve ended up selecting up extra wickets than final time,” he mentioned.
Whereas final time he had 13 wickets from 10 matches, it’s 16 from seven this time.
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Poiyamozhi bowls wristy off-cutters like Mustafizur Rahman does. Saying it’s a coincidence, he admits that he has “fine-tuned” that supply by watching Mustafizur. He additionally has the back-of-the-hand on-seam slower supply, the slower bouncer, and the slower dipping full toss.
“It’s a should,” he mentioned, for a chosen death-over specialist to study to bowl slower deliveries.
“Because the ball turns into outdated and the batters are ready to line you up, velocity must be diverse. The ball has to go slower off the wicket.”
Poiyamozhi initially struggled in TNPL, bowling pace-on deliveries on the demise.
“I used to be leaking runs. I realised I wanted slower deliveries. So, I labored for round three years for me to get it proper,” he mentioned.
He’s bowled to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) gamers in a observe match throughout IPL 2024 at Amir Mahal right here. He’s additionally served as a internet bowler for the Chennai Tremendous Kings (CSK) for 3 seasons and for Staff India in its preparation for a T20I versus West Indies on the Chepauk stadium.
“After I bowled for Staff India within the nets, I interacted with Mohammed Shami. He emphasised match preparation. He mentioned that the preparation on the nets, and observe normally, earlier than a match or a match, is essential,” Poiyamozhi mentioned when requested to recall one thing memorable from his net-bowling stints.