Mohammed Siraj made a big mark on his return to M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Gujarat Titans colours against home team Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Siraj, who spent seven years at RCB, ran riot with the new ball after Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first. The premier Indian pacer claimed a couple of wickets in the powerplay to break RCB’s back in their own backyard.
Devdutt Padikkal became his first victim as the left-handed batter charged down the ground but dragged the ball onto the stumps.
However, it was his battle with Phil Salt, which grabbed the limelight as he almost got the better of him in the first over, but wicketkeeper Jos Buttler dropped an easy one to give him a lifeline.
In the fifth over, Salt smashed Siraj’s fourth delivery out of the stadium for a 105-meter six, which enthralled the home fans. The game was paused briefly after the ball landed outside the stadium, but Siraj was only thinking about a reply on the next delivery, and he had a last laugh there. The star pacer rattled Salt’s stumps right after getting hit for a six as the Englishman was beaten by the pace on the flat Chinnaswamy pitch. He was dismissed for just 14
Siraj spent seven years, from 2018 to 2024, at RCB, but the franchise made a bold call by not retaining him ahead of the 2025 mega auction. After playing one season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2017, where he took 10 wickets in six matches, Siraj was purchased by RCB for INR 2.6 crore. He participated in 87 matches for them, securing 83 wickets at an average of 31. 45, with his best figures being 4/21.
The RCB management also faced a flak for their decision as, over the years, he became one of the fan favourites. The star pacer was bought by Gujarat Titans for a whopping INR 12.25 crore in the mega auction. He justified his price tag with a brilliant performance against Mumbai Indians in the last match.
Meanwhile, RCB decided to go unchanged for the big clash, while Shubman Gill announced one change for the visiting side as Kagiso Rabada missed out due to personal reasons.
“We’ll bowl first. Looks like a good wicket. We’ve seen the conditions don’t change much. We’re all about reducing our unforced errors. We’ll try to finetune the areas that need it. Kagiso misses out due to personal reasons so we’ve got Arshad Khan back,” Gill said after winning the toss.