New Delhi [India] March 20 : Mohammed Siraj is set to play for Gujarat Titans (GT) this year in the Indian Premier League.
Siraj expressed his emotions about Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He said Kohli has played a big hand in his career and supported him in his ups and downs. He also noted that it was a very emotional moment for him to leave RCB.
Siraj was bought by RCB in 2018 for Rs 2.6 crore, and he played 87 matches for them, picking 83 wickets at an average of 31.45, with the best figures of 4/21. He is RCB's third-highest wicket-taker ever, behind Harshal Patel (99) and Yuzvendra Chahal (139).
"To be honest Virat Kohli has huge hand in my career, he has backed me in my bad time, 2018 and 2019 he supported me he even retained me and after that my performance and graph got up he has been very supportive. It has been very emotional for me to leave RC. Let's see what happens when I come against RCB. The match is on April 2," Mohammed Siraj told ANI.
"My training is going very well with all the pacers in my team, and our bowling unit knows how to plan and execute. I am feeling very pleasant training with them all, teammates, and especially being here in Gujarat Titans," he added.
During his stint with RCB, Siraj experienced qualification to playoffs four times but could never win a trophy. The 2023 season was his best for RCB. He took 19 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 19.74 and an economy rate of 7.50, with best figures of 4/21.
In the last season, during which Siraj took 15 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 33.07, RCB experienced a memorable turnaround in the second half of the season. They went from winning only one of their first eight matches to winning six matches in a row to book a place in the playoffs.
However, they lost to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the eliminator. Siraj's last competitive cricket match was against Vidarbha in January. He took four wickets across both innings in their Ranji Trophy match.