Mohammed Siraj delivered a memorable performance for Gujarat Titans (GT) against his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 on the 2nd of April, Wednesday. Playing against his former team, Siraj took three wickets for just 19 runs in his four overs, earning the Player of the Match award. His fiery spell contributed to limiting RCB to 169/8, setting up a comfortable eight-wicket victory for GT. Siraj’s emotional return to Chinnaswamy stadium, where he had spent seven years with RCB before joining GT, struck a chord with fans. His exceptional performance, dismissals of RCB’s top order batters, Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal, followed by Liam Livingstone during the death overs, created a buzz across social media.
The reactions of fans flooded with memes, celebrating Siraj’s redemption. Fans humorously pointed out the irony of him dismantling his old team’s batting lineup at his former home ground, with many making light-hearted jabs at RCB’s management for not retaining him.
Siraj after receiving The Player of the Match award
“I was a bit emotional. I was here for 7 years, changed my jersey from red to blue and was emotional but once I got the ball I was fine,” Siraj expressed after being named as the Player of the match.
Talking about his celebration, Siraj said, “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 tells me to go enjoy 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.
“As I take look back on my time in an RCB shirt my heart is full of gratitude, love and emotion. The day I first wore the RCB jersey, I never imagined the bond we would form. From the first ball I bowled in RCB colours, to every wicket taken, every match played, every moment shared with you, the journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. There have been ups and downs, but through it all, one thing has been constant: your unwavering support. RCB is more than just a franchise; it’s a feeling, a heartbeat, a family that feels like home,” Siraj expressed in a post ahead of this season.
RCB v GT, playing XIs
RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood
GT: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
