“What is going on here? Did they remove my name?” – Mohammed Siraj shares his conversation with Bharat Arun during IPL Auction
Follow Us
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj, a rising Indian pace bowler from humble roots, made a name for himself in cricket. As is common among Indian players, Siraj entered the Indian setup through the IPL. RCB acquired Mohammed Siraj for a whopping INR 2.6 crore from SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL auction of 2018. In the modern-day, the 27-year-old Hyderabadi is an integral part of the Bangalore team, sitting alongside Virat Kohli in their retained players list heading into the upcoming season. After RCB continued to support Siraj along with former skipper Kohli and Australia’s hard-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, Siraj fetches INR 7 crore.
Also Read | “My jersey number is 3” – Yuzvendra Chahal’s first reaction after joining Rajasthan Royals
In the 2017 IPL auction, Siraj was bought for 2.6 crores INR, a staggering sum given what his base price was. He played his first game with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where Tom Moody spotted his ability to generate pace. With only six games under his belt, he took 10 wickets.
Bangalore acquired Siraj for INR 2.6 crore during the 2018 auction after Hyderabad parted ways with him because of erratic bowling. He picked up 11 wickets in the season and gradually became Virat Kohli’s go-to death bowler.
Mohammed Siraj recalled how he was selected in an auction by SRH
Danish Sait, host of the RCB Podcast, asked SIRAJ how he knows that he was selected in the IPL team. Siraj replied, “I was in the middle of a Ranji Trophy T20 Practice in Hyderabad when Bharat Arun sir came to me and said don’t come for practice today, After I asked them “why sir?” they replied that there is an auction and you will not be able to focus on your practice, then Siraj asked them, sir mein select ho jaunga na, and they replied, yes, stay relaxed & Don’t take tension.
“My name did not come up until lunch. I was like, “What is going on here? Did they remove my name?” I immediately called Bharat Arun, “My name has not come up till now.” He told me not to worry. After an hour – about a half hour later – my name popped up: Siraj. In the first ten seconds, no one raised the hand. I thought, ‘someone just raise it and then put it down.’ Then RCB raised it, and I thought, okay, so I’m selected. When I returned home, my brother told me I got selected in INR 2.6 crores.”, Siraj added.
The only thing that matters to me is playing cricket and representing my country. The RCB bid 2.4 as that was their budget in the auction and Sunrisers Hyderabad bid 2.6. I just knew that RCB would bid for me. I began screaming that I was selected in RCB but did not know that I was selected in SRH.
Also Read | Virat Kohli’s 100th Test: Sachin Tendulkar remembers when he first heard Virat Kohli’s name
Stay Updated!
Shubh Dinesh Jain
(211 Articles Published)