Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj's rise as a seamer was remarkably swift. The son of an autorickshaw driver in Hyderabad, he only began playing the game in class seven. It was in 2015 that he first bowled with a cricket ball. In 2017, he bagged an IPL contract worth INR 2.6 crore. Months later, he was wearing an India shirt and bowling in a T20 international against New Zealand.

Sturdy and athletic, Siraj has a deceptive run-up, which initially suggests that a left-arm bowler is steaming in. He is, however, a right-armer and by his own admission is a natural at getting the ball to swing into the right-hander. He has always been able to bowl a pretty quick bouncer though, something that had impressed his captain David Warner and team mentor VVS Laxman in the Sunrisers Hyderabad set-up.

Potential translated to performance when he was his state's highest wicket-taker playing only his second season of Ranji Trophy - 41 wickets in nine matches. He was subsequently picked to play for the Rest of India and was brought on board by the India A team as well for a tour of South Africa in July-August 2017. The step up to the big league arrived soon after.

- Mohammed Siraj got his first IPL gig when Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for INR 2.6 crore and had a stellar first season, with 10 wickets from six games.

- Siraj was then signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he spent the next seven years. Siraj became RCB's go-to bowler in the powerplay. He had his best season in 2023, when he took 19 wickets in 14 matches.

- In IPL 2024, Siraj took 15 wickets before being released by RCB ahead of the 2025 mega-auction when Gujarat Titans (GT) acquired him for INR 12.25 crore.

- Siraj finished with 16 wickets from 15 games in his first season for GT. His highlights included ripping through his old team RCB's top order at his old home ground with a three-wicket haul, and four days later registering his best figures in the IPL - 4 for 17 - at his domestic homeground, Hyderabad.