Going back home always brings up a lot of feelings. Mohammed Siraj from GT knows this well. He said the memories hit him hard when he returned. But he didn’t let that stop him; he bowled a great game against his old team, RCB, leading to their 8-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 on Wednesday. Siraj was with RCB for seven seasons before they let him go.
Things got tougher for him when he missed out on making the Indian team for the Champions Trophy 2025, which they won. Still, he came back to Chinnaswamy on Wednesday with a fire in his belly, playing for Gujarat Titans and taking three wickets for just 15 runs.
“I felt a bit emotional. I was here for seven years, then switched from red to blue, Siraj said after winning the Player of the Match award. “But once I got the ball, I was good… I just had to trust myself.” And trust himself he did. He took down opener Phil Salt, top-order batsman Devdutt Padikkal, and the dangerous Liam Livingstone in his impressive spell.
When asked about his celebrations for each wicket, he cheekily said, I’m a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, so that’s where it comes from. Siraj also mentioned how much he appreciated the support from GT’s head coach Ashish Nehra and veteran bowler Ishant Sharma; both helped him clear his mind and find his groove for the new season.
I’ve been playing consistently, but during the break, I worked on fixing my mistakes and getting fit. Once Gujarat Titans picked me up, I chatted with Ashish Bhai. He tells me to enjoy my bowling, and Ishu Bhai helps with my line and length, Siraj explained. With this win, GT moved up to fourth in the IPL 2025 standings, while RCB fell from first to third.