India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj said that leaving the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was painful for him because Virat Kohli had been a big supporter of him from his first season. After being released by RCB, Siraj was purchased by Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rs 12.25 crore in the mega auction held prior to the forthcoming season. After being acquired for Rs 2.6 crore, he made his IPL debut in 2017 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). For the 2018 season, he was then acquired by RCB for Rs 2.20 crore.
Siraj on leaving RCB
Under Virat Kohli's guidance, Siraj grew as a bowler over his seven seasons with the RCB. In addition to not using the Right to Match (RTM) card to keep him during the bidding event, the franchise did not retain him before the 2025 season's mega auction. Siraj recently talked candidly about his transfer to Gujarat Titans, stating that it was heartbreaking for him to leave RCB since Virat Kohli gave him so much support when he was there.
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“It’s a good feeling to join Gujarat ahead of the new season. Yeah, it was a bit emotional for me to leave RCB because Virat bhai had supported me a lot in tough times, but we have a fantastic team here under Gill,” Siraj told PTI.
Siraj further praised the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) decision to permit the use of saliva to shine the ball during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). Following the Covid-19 epidemic, the ban was put in place prior to the tournament's 2020 season.
“It’s very good for bowlers. It's excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing. It sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help (to get reverse swing). But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining (the shine on one side), and it is important,” he added.
Gujarat's IPL 2025 campaign will kick off on Tuesday, March 25 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad against the Punjab Kings. Siraj will be keen to write a spectacular return in the next season after falling short of his expectations in the previous one.