New Delhi – The announcement of India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, particularly with the notable absence of Mohammed Siraj. The 31-year-old, who played a pivotal role in India’s stellar performance during the ODI World Cup 2023, was surprisingly left out. Siraj had formed a formidable partnership with Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, yet team captain Rohit Sharma cited Siraj’s reduced effectiveness with the older ball as the reason for his exclusion.
Undeterred by the snub, Siraj faced a new challenge in the IPL 2025. Released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he was picked up by Gujarat Titans (GT) for a hefty sum of Rs 12.25 crore. Doubts lingered about his ability to adapt to a new team environment, but Siraj has silenced critics with his outstanding performances. In just four matches, he has taken nine wickets, showcasing a significant improvement over his previous season’s tally of 15 wickets at an average of 33.07 and an economy rate of 9.19. In IPL 2025, Siraj boasts an impressive average of 13.78 and an economy rate of 7.75, with six dismissals during the powerplay alone.
Siraj’s resurgence was highlighted in GT’s recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he clinched the ‘Player of the Match’ award with his best-ever IPL figures of 4/17. This marked his second consecutive ‘Player of the Match’ honor, following a spell of 3/19 against his former team, RCB. This season marks the first time Siraj has received this accolade twice in a row.
Reflecting on his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, Siraj shared, “I could not digest it initially. When you are not selected in the Indian team, it does cross your mind whether you are good enough, but I wanted to be ready for the IPL.” He emphasized the importance of executing his plans and the satisfaction derived from seeing the ball respond to his commands. “When you are executing exactly what you want to do, that is when you are on top. When the ball is listening to you and doing exactly what you want, that gives a different feeling. I was playing matches consistently, so I didn’t realise the mistakes I was making. I focused on my bowling during the break and the ball is being bowled nicely now,” he added.
Siraj’s close friend, Mohammed Kaleem, shed light on the pacer’s dedication and hard work following his exclusion. “Siraj said, ‘I could have played in the Champions Trophy but I guess they want to give game time to others. I will use this time to focus on my fitness and keep practicing’,” Kaleem revealed in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com. He detailed Siraj’s rigorous training regimen in Hyderabad, where he honed different aspects of his game day and night, focusing on improving his technique.
Siraj’s childhood coach, Kudaravalli Srinivas, praised his mental transformation as a key factor in his success. “Siraj has always been someone who respects the seniors and follows the decision of the captain or team management. However, he was just like a machine earlier who would simply follow orders. Now, Siraj has started thinking on his own after joining GT as he knows that he has to survive by himself. His pace has increased. Siraj is clocking more than 140 kph consistently,” Srinivas noted.
Srinivas further highlighted Siraj’s strategic approach to bowling, particularly evident in his spell against SRH. “Siraj knows all the weaknesses of the batters and is focused on exploiting them. If you see his spell against SRH, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma didn’t get bandwidth to free their arms, leading to their dismissal in the powerplay which left a huge impact. Siraj was the number one bowler in ODIs when he was dropped for the Champions Trophy. That snub triggered a desire to improve and excel as much as possible,” he concluded.