IPL Auction 2018: In last few years, Sunrisers Hyderabad have given the Indian cricket team more fast-bowling assets than any Ranji Trophy side. The franchise turned Bhuvneshwar Kumar into one of the best limited-overs bowler in the world, helped make Ashish Nehra a dramatic yet inspirational comeback to international cricket and was pivotal in Barinder Sran and Siddharth Kaul’s inclusion in the national side. Another pacer who made a name for himself playing for the same side is Mohammed Siraj. A relatively unknown name a couple of years back, Siraj was bought by RCB for a whopping amount of Rs 2.60 crore in the IPL auction 2018.The 23-year-old who made his international debut last year against New Zealand will be hoping to replicate his performances with the orange army and help his new side to an IPL title.
Siraj emerged as a bright future prospect in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season where he had picked up 41 wickets from nine matches, helping his domestic side Hyderabad to the quarter final. He was subsequently picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 2.6 crore, which is a huge amount for an uncapped player. The right arm fast bowler had caught the eyes with his ability to hit the deck hard and his relentless accuracy.
However, his rise to fame and struggle is an inspirational story for many youngsters. Siraj who is a son of an auto rickshaw driver in Hyderabad, started his career as a batsman who could bowl a bit. He started playing tennis ball cricket and was primarily self-taught.
Siraj’s father put in a lot of hard work to sustain the expenses of his son and ensured he went on to play domestic cricket. In his first IPL season, Siraj didn’t get to play too many matches because of the presence of some big names in Sunrisers’ bowling unit. Despite that, he finished with 10 wickets in 6 matches, making him a hot prospect in IPL auction 2018.
Siraj is not one of those tall fast-bowlers but can extract good bounce from the wicket, an ability that impressed Sunrisers coach Tom Moody. Enjoying a healthy average of 21.2, and a strike rate of 13.8, Siraj will ask a lot of questions in the 11th season of Indian Premier League as well. He will surely be one of the youngsters to keep an eye on!
