Arshdeep Singh vs Mohammed Siraj - who's the more complete fast-bowler?

We're almost at the halfway point of the group stage of IPL 2023, and it has been a fascinating tournament so far, with not much to separate most teams. We've witnessed some nailbiting contests and some terrific batting performances, but we've also seen some fiery spells of pace bowling that have caught the eye.

At the top of the Purple Cap list are two of India's most promising upcoming seamers, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Both have been crucial to their respective sides getting four wins in seven matches and picking up 13 wickets each.

Let's now look at some stats and metrics to try and determine who the more complete fast bowler is.

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Across Formats

Siraj is one of India's best red-ball bowlers.

Mohammed Siraj is the outright more complete bowler across formats because he currently finds a place in India's playing XI in all three formats. He was the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler for a while, and when you consider the names he has pipped to get to that spot, it's some achievement. He has picked up 43 wickets in only 24 ODIs, with 47 wickets in 18 Test matches as well.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh is still in the early stages of his ODI career, having played only three matches and is yet to pick up a wicket. He's also yet to make his Test debut.

However, when it comes to T20Is, the left-arm seamer has shone for India, even doing well in the 2022 T20 World Cup. He has picked up 41 wickets in 26 T20Is, with Siraj still not established as a T20I bowler, featuring in only eight games and picking up 11 wickets.

Similarly, Arshdeep has the edge over Siraj in the IPL. The right-arm speedster has picked up 72 wickets in 72 matches, with Arshdeep's bowling average, economy, and bowling Strike Rate all better than Siraj's.

However, one has to consider that over the last two years, Siraj has improved tremendously as a bowler, and if one was to filter their overall IPL careers down to the last two years, he might well be level with Arshdeep.

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Bowling Skillset

Arshdeep Singh looks to be the more complete T20 bowler.

Mohammed Siraj looks to have a more complete skillset for a fast bowler, and when it comes to raw pace, he is clear of Arshdeep. The 29-year-old Siraj has played 58 First Class matches when compared to Arshdeep's seven, and he's definitely been the better bowler in the longer formats so far.

That can be attributed to him being a much better operator than Arshdeep with the new ball, with his pace, seam movement, and accuracy helping him pick up wickets with the red ball and in the 50-over format.

However, Arshdeep looks to be the more complete T20 bowler. While not as prolific at making the new ball talk as Siraj, he is capable of swinging the ball both ways and is a very capable powerplay wicket-taker.

However, as the ball gets older, that's when he really becomes a beast. Arshdeep isn't the quickest bowler and his quickest deliveries are usually 135-140 KPH, but he compensates for the lack of pace with guile and plenty of variations. His darting yorkers are unplayable, and at the moment, he's probably the best death bowler in the league.

While Mohammed Siraj has massively improved his T20 game, you'd have to say he still has some way to go if he wants to match the consistency with which Arshdeep has been performing in the shortest format.

Final Verdict: When you consider fast bowling as a whole, the more experienced and versatile Siraj looks the more complete pacer, but within the T20 context of things, Arshdeep is a more complete T20 fast bowler.