Mohammed Siraj returned to form for Gujarat Titans with a match-winning spell against his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday and was hailed for his effort and attitude by former players.
His spell of 3 for 19 restricted RCB to 169 for 8 and earned the right-arm pacer the ‘Player of the Match’ award. Gujarat chased down the target with 13 balls to spare, thanks to former England white-ball captain Jos Buttler’s unbeaten knock of 73 off 39 balls.
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The 31-year-old Siraj took the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone. He now has five wickets in three matches so far this season.
After being left out of India’s Champions Trophy squad, Siraj appeared determined to prove his worth to both national selectors and RCB management at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where he played the IPL for seven seasons.
Following his release by RCB after the 2024 edition, Siraj was acquired by Gujarat for Rs 12.25 crore at the mega auction last November.
“It was emotional because I played for seven years here,” Siraj said of returning to Bengaluru. “There was some nervousness and some emotion but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full on.”
Gujarat secured their second consecutive victory, while Bengaluru suffered their first loss of the current season.
“Somewhere I feel he is hurt that he wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy squad, and I saw that fire,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz. “That’s what we expect from a young fast bowler: ‘Yeah, you didn’t pick me? Now I will show you’.”
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he could feel the fire in Siraj’s body language.
“He bowled with real fire in his belly, led the attack with aggression, and bowled with some excellent pace,” Williamson told JioStar.
“(Siraj) was deservedly named ‘Player of the Match’,” Williamson added. “While Jos Buttler was outstanding and back to his best in the second innings, Siraj set the tone early on, making a significant impact.”
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