MohammedSiraj

Son of an autorickshaw driver, Mohammed Siraj started playing cricket with a tennis ball and held the leather ball for the first time at the age of 19 in 2015. 

After playing in the under-23 tournament, the fast bowler was included in Hyderabad's state team in 2015-16. However, he could play a single game in his debut season. In 2016, he was a net bowler for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where assistant coach Bharat Arjun saw his ability and helped him to work on his raw pace. 

In 2016-17, Arjun was made Hyderabad’s coach and Siraj got another opportunity to polish his skills under the guidance of his coach, whom he already met in the RCB camp.

The pacer grabbed 41 wickets in 9 matches and became the third-highest wicket taker in the tourney that season. He attributed his success to coach Bharat Arjun by calling him an ‘Angel’. 

After success in the domestic circuit, the young bowler bagged an IPL contract of a massive INR 2.6 crore by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2017 season. He played his first game against Delhi Capitals and ended the season with 10 wickets from six outings. 

The right-arm medium-fast bowler made his T20I debut against New Zealand in 2017.

Siraj became the highest wicket-taker (23 wkts)  in the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy and then was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 2.20 crores at the 2018 auction. He played 11 games for RCB in the 2018 season and scalped 11 wickets. 

In 2019, the Indian pacer made his ODI debut against Australia Down Under but went wicketless. Siraj had an ordinary tournament during the 2019 season where he could just snap 7 wickets in his 10 outings and gave runs at an economy close to 10. 

In the IPL 2020 season, Siraj grabbed 11 wickets at a strike rate of 14.81 in 9 matches. 

After an exceptional IPL, the fast bowler was named for the Test series against Australia and it became a series to remember for him. Ahead of the start of the tour, he lost his father but decided to stay with the team to achieve his father’s dream to see Siraj play Test Cricket.  The pacer made his Test debut for injury-hit India against Australia at MCG. 

Siraj took his maiden fifer at Gabba and played a mammoth role in India’s second consecutive series victory Down Under. Post that series, he played two other Tests against visiting England. 

In February 2021, Mohammed Siraj was retained by RCB for the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League. In the last couple of months, the pacer has taken some tremendous strides and it would be part of captain Virat Kohli’s plan to clinch his maiden IPL trophy and then contribute in the final of the World Test Championship. 

(As of March 2021)