Gujarat Titans’ (GT) pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed his emotions after facing his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in IPL 2025. Siraj got emotional after winning the Player of the Match award at his old home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while wearing a different jersey.
The 31-year-old was a key part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 2018 to 2024. However, he was not retained ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. Siraj played 87 matches during his seven-year stint and took 83 wickets at an average of 31.44. He was bought by the Titans for ₹12.25 crore in the mega auction.
Mohammed Siraj Wins Player of the Match After Fiery Spell
Mohammed Siraj took three key wickets—Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, and Liam Livingstone. Salt’s dismissal grabbed attention. The English batter had just hit him for a massive 105m six before Siraj struck immediately, rattling his off-stump. The pacer finished with impressive figures of 3/19 in four overs.
Chasing 170, GT lost Shubman Gill early for 14, but Jos Buttler and B Sai Sudharsan steadied the innings. Their 75-run stand ended when Josh Hazlewood dismissed Sudharsan for 49. However, Buttler reached his fifty in just 31 balls and remained unbeaten on 73 as GT won with 13 balls to spare.
I Was a Bit Emotional – Mohammed Siraj on Returning to Bengaluru
Mohammed Siraj admitted that he felt emotional about returning to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in different colors after spending seven years with RCB. He shared that switching from red to blue brought a mix of nerves and emotions, but once he had the ball in hand, he was fully focused on his game.
“I was a bit emotional. I was here for 7 years, changed jersey from red to blue. There was some nervousness and some emotion but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full-on,” Siraj said after receiving the Player of the Match award.
When asked about his celebration, Siraj revealed that he is a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, which is why he mimicked the football star’s signature style.
Siraj simply stated, “I am Ronaldo’s fan and hence the celebration.”
I Corrected My Mistakes and Worked on My Fitness – Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj used his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad as an opportunity to correct his mistakes and improve his overall game. He has also benefited from the guidance of head coach Ashish Nehra and senior pacer Ishant Sharma.
“I had been playing consistently, but during the break I corrected my mistakes and worked on my fitness,” Siraj said.
“Once I was picked up by the Gujarat Titans, I spoke to Ashish Bhai. He (Nehra) tells me to go enjoy your bowling, and Ishu (Ishant) Bhai tells me what line and length to bowl. My mindset is to have belief and then the pitch does not matter,” he added.
