The Indian pacer's plethora of experience is expected to spark a bidding war.
Star Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was amongst the surprising exclusions ahead of the IPL 2025 retention deadline on October 31.
Bought by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise back in 2018, Siraj has been one of their strongest pillars in the bowling attack and a consistent wicket-taker.
However, after a mixed IPL 2024 season, marked by inconsistent performances and a higher-than-expected economy rate, Mohammed Siraj was released by the Bengaluru-based outfit. He took 15 wickets in IPL 2024 at an economy rate of 9.1 but his recent struggles have sparked doubts about his reliability in the T20 format.
Nevertheless, with Siraj set to enter the auction pool now, the Indian pacer’s plethora of experience is expected to spark a bidding war for him with almost every team on the lookout for an Indian bowler with international experience across all formats.
The Gujarat Titans have chosen not to retain any fast bowlers ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction and clearly want to revamp the department, leaving them in need of quality pacers. GT released key players such as Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, and Umesh Yadav.
Although the team has the option to use an RTM (Right to Match) card to reacquire one of these bowlers, they will still need to strengthen their pace attack further. If Shami is brought back, the presence of two Indian international pacers would significantly enhance their bowling lineup.
Moreover, Gujarat Titans’ head coach Ashish Nehra has previously worked with Mohammed Siraj during his coaching stint at RCB, which could provide an added advantage in terms of rapport and understanding.
Despite RCB releasing Siraj before the 2025 season, the franchise could still exercise the Right to Match (RTM) option to bring him back. Siraj has been a part of RCB since 2018 and has gradually become one of the team’s most important players. His impressive performance in IPL 2023, where he took 19 wickets, highlighted his value.
Given his experience at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and his strong bond with the franchise over seven seasons, RCB should seriously think about re-signing Siraj for their squad.
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Last season’s finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad could be another possible destination for Siraj. For the unversed, he began his IPL journey in 2017 with SRH as well.
After parting ways with Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, the team is in need of experienced Indian fast bowlers.
Additionally, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium hosted numerous high-scoring matches last season. This is where Siraj can come in handy with his experience and provide the depth they require, especially after a season where they struggled to contain high-scoring games.
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