Now that the dust has settled on the Indian Premier League (IPL) retentions, there have been some surprising calls made by a few franchises, whether it be in terms of retention or release. Among them lies the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) decision to let go of Mohammed Siraj ahead of the mega auction.
The majority expected the three-time finalists to retain at least the pair of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, considering they headlined the batting and bowling departments, respectively. While Kohli was retained along expected lines, Siraj missed out as RCB opted to keep a hold of Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal instead.
Siraj was one of the three players retained ahead of the 2022 mega auctions, and had an eventful three-year phase, picking up 43 wickets, including 19 scalps in the 2023 edition. He had thrived bowling at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where there is always something for the new ball bowlers.
RCB are no strangers to making blunders when it comes to retentions, and they could go on to regret the decision to let go of Siraj in the future. On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why RCB releasing Mohammed Siraj ahead of the IPL 2025 Auction is the wrong move.
#1 Proven Indian seamers are worth their weight in gold
RCB are infamous for not building a capable bowling attack to back their batters, and this has been a recurring theme for them. Despite overspending a touch, Bengaluru had built a solid core of Siraj-Hazlewood-Hasaranga, and they finished third that season, narrowly missing on the final.
However, the trio did not avail an opportunity to function as a unit for too long as Hasaranga and Hazlewood fizzled away. However, having Siraj as the spearhead went a long way for RCB, and it is a comfort zone that most franchises wish to have.
With only Dayal to work with at the moment, RCB have to look for seamers at the auction, and an experienced Indian pacer would certainly be on their wishlist. They now have to go through the unpredictable auction dynamics to land their targets or settle for the second choices instead of the safe option of extending Siraj's stay with the franchise.
#2 RCB's RTM plan could go awry despite their heavy purse
Having made only limited retention, RCB enter the auction with confidence on the back of their heavy purse and RTM cards. Bengaluru's director of cricket, Mo Babat, revealed that the franchise faced a heavy headache regarding Siraj's retention.
Given that he is still valued by the franchise, and among the top options in terms of seamers in the market, there is a high chance that they will be in the bidding war for him, with the RTM being the card up their sleeve.
RCB had gone with similar aspirations last time around, hoping to buy back both Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal. They ended up being involved in extended bidding wars for Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga, leaving no funds for Chahal. The primary reason behind that was the fact that Hasaranga's name sprang up earlier.
While RCB could still snap up Siraj on RTM because of their dominant purse, they could just as easily lose out on him if circumstances change just a bit on the auction floor. The move to save some money by hoping to use the revamped RTM on Siraj comes across as a very risky move when there was no need for it.
#3 Siraj was familiar with bowling at the Chinnaswamy Stadium
A primary reason why Siraj should have been considered indispensable by RCB was the traits that he brought to the table. There are hardly any seamers who have been successful at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on a long-term basis.
Zaheer Khan and Vinay Kumar have taken 28 and 27 wickets, respectively, to become the leading seam bowlers at the venue. While it took them 92 and 84 overs to reach that figure, Siraj has taken 26 wickets in 79 overs, that too with a similar average and an economy rate.
It is hard to find bowlers who can be successful at the venue for a prolonged basis. Even if RCB pick up an accomplished seamer at the auction, he will take a while to adapt to the conditions and the ground dimensions.
Siraj had more or less cracked the formula, using the venue's bounce and the new ball to full use. He had also improved his death bowling considerably in recent times. As far as economy for death overs for bowlers who have bowled at least 60 balls in the phase last season, Siraj's name is second on the list with 8.92, placed only behind Jasprit Bumrah.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️