Gujarat Titans’ pacer Mohammed Siraj delivered a sensational bowling performance against his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), guiding his side to an eight-wicket win in their IPL 2025 clash at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Siraj’s Impactful Spell
Siraj, who spent seven seasons with RCB, was in top form, scalping three crucial wickets while conceding just 19 runs at an economy of 4.8 in his four-over spell. His victims included Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, and Liam Livingstone. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the Player of the Match.
Siraj on His Mindset & Emotions
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Siraj shared his emotions about returning to his former home ground:
“I was a bit emotional. I was here for 7 years, changed jersey from red to blue and was emotional, but once I got the ball, I was fine. I am Ronaldo’s fan and hence the celebration. I had been playing consistently, but during the break, I corrected my mistakes and worked on my fitness. Once I was picked up by 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.”
Match Recap
- RCB was put to bat first after GT won the toss.
- Mohammed Siraj (3/19) destroyed RCB’s top order, leaving them struggling at 42/4.
- Liam Livingstone (54), Jitesh Sharma (33), and Tim David (32) helped RCB reach 169/8 in 20 overs.
- Sai Kishore (2/22) and Prasidh Krishna (1/26) also impressed with the ball.
- Jos Buttler (73), Sai Sudharsan (49), and Sherfane Rutherford (30) guided GT to victory in 17.5 overs.**
Points Table Update
- RCB is now in third place with 4 points (2 wins, 1 loss).
- GT is in fourth place with the same record.
🏆 Player of the Match: Mohammed Siraj (3/19)