Mohammed Siraj has been in stunning form in the IPL 2023. The Hyderabad-born seamer has been carrying the RCB bowling attack with sensational spells with the new balls in the powerplay and also later on with the old ball.
His latest performance against Punjab Kings on a batting-friendly pitch in Mohali – where he returned with scintillating figures of 4/21 – usurped him to the top of the chart of the leading wicket-takers in this year’s tournament so far.
Mohammed Siraj has now taken 12 wickets in 6 matches and is the Purple Cap holder
This is a dream turnaround for Mohammed Siraj in the IPL and in the shortest format in the past three years as before that he used to get trolled heavily for leaking big runs in the IPL. Still, RCB stuck with him and kept faith in the seamer’s hard work and talent and now they are reaping the rewards of sticking with the speedster.
There is an emotional story regarding the Purple Cap that Mohammed Siraj revealed after his blockbuster performance vs PBKS where he got the Purple Cap.
Siraj recalled that in 2017, in his debut IPL season when he played for SRH, senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar told him to collect the Purple Cap on his behalf because Kumar wasn’t available. Bhuvneshwar had won the 2017 IPL Purple Cap for taking 26 wickets and asked Siraj to take the Purple Cap in his stead.
Now, Mohammed Siraj himself is the holder of the Purple Cap and his journey has been one of great inspiration.
“When Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the purple cap in the 2016 IPL, I went on his behalf to collect the Purple Cap. I also had a dream that I should also win a Purple Cap. So it is a very nice feeling to hold it currently,” Mohammed Siraj said after receiving the Purple Cap in Mohali.
Speaking of his bowling against Punjab, at the post-match presentation ceremony, Siraj said: “First ball the length was a bit short and then I sensed need to bowl full to get some swing and that was the plan (for first wicket). The lockdown was really important for me, because I used to get hit for boundaries very often before that. I worked on my plans, my fitness and my bowling and it’s all paying dividends now. I always try to improve in every department of the game because I understand it is important to contribute in whichever way possible. Always rated myself as a decent fielder, misfields can happen but I take my fielding seriously.”
