Mohammed Shami looking forward to bowling in tandem with Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith in IPL 2021.

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Fit-again Mohammed Shami is eager to set the stage on fire in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The India pacer was sidelined since December after he copped a painful blow on his forearm while batting in the Adelaide Test against Australia. The blow resulted in a fracture and subsequently ruled Shami out of the series.

The right-arm pacer also missed the entire home series against England. But he has recovered in time for the IPL and cannot wait to get back to action. The Punjab Kings pace spearhead has expressed his excitement over bowling with the franchise's new pace bowling recruits Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith in IPL 2021.

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Unlike his team, Shami enjoyed a good outing in the last edition of the tournament. While Punjab Kings missed out on the playoffs, Shami had his most prolific IPL season till date. He picked up 20 wickets at a strike-rate of 16.10 in 14 matches. He, however, did not get good support from the other bowlers and it hurt the team's chances. The pacer is now hopeful that the addition of Richardson and Meredith will make bowling attacking "more balanced". Shami further said that he does not want to look too far ahead and is focusing only on doing well for his team.

"The squad is looking more balanced. Both of them have got pace, and I am looking forward to bowling in tandem with them," Mohammad Shami told The Times of India. "In IPL, you can't predict anything. Yes, after mid-season, you get a clearer idea. My only focus is on taking wickets and winning matches for Punjab Kings."

Shami termed his injury as an unfortunate one and stated that he cannot wait to hit the ground running. The Bengal star also pointed out the difficulty that a player faces while returning to action after an injury layoff. At the same time, he is confident that he has prepared well for the tournament.

“It was an unfortunate injury. Now that I have recovered, I can’t wait to hit the ground running for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL...It is tough to make a comeback after an injury layoff. At the same time, it has given me more time to prepare for the IPL. The T20 is not an easy format for the fast bowlers, but once I knew that I would not be fit for the Test series against England at home, I targeted the IPL as my comeback tournament," Shami said.