IPL 2021: Mohammed Siraj discusses his stunning opening spell against SRH

Mohammed Siraj made the ball talk early on in Chennai, with his mesmerizing opening spell pegging Sunrisers Hyderabad back on Wednesday. The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer opened up about his spell, stressing the importance of getting the ball to swing in the powerplay overs.

The 27-year-old conceded just one run off the bat in his first two overs against SRH. Mohammed Siraj extracted some swing from a sticky Chennai wicket, providing an early breakthrough with the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha.

While speaking to the media after RCB’s six-run over SRH, Sportskeeda asked Siraj about his impressive spell with the new ball.

“The target was just 150, so picking up a couple of wickets would have built up pressure on the opposition. That’s why I was searching for swing early on,” Siraj said.

Before last season, Siraj had never registered a PP economy below 9 runs per over and had only taken five wickets in three seasons. Last year alone he took seven wickets in this phase and conceded just 6.92 runs per over. #IPL2021 https://t.co/PM8Z5kUNRa

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 14, 2021

Mohammed Siraj bowled three overs in the powerplay, picking up one wicket while conceding just 14 runs. It looked like the pacer had the red cherry in his hand instead of the white ball, with Siraj consistently hitting the good length to trouble the SRH batsmen.

Mohammed Siraj bowls first maiden over of #IPL2021 #RCBvsSRH #RCB

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) April 14, 2021

The 27-year-old, who has developed a reputation for being a handful with the new ball, was at it again on Wednesday. His tight line and length kept Manish Pandey at bay, helping the RCB build up the pressure early on. Praised for his opening spell, Mohammed Siraj gave an insight into his thought process at the start of the game.

“See whenever I get the new ball, I try to see if it is swinging. I saw some swing after bowling the first ball, so I tried to continue doing the same because it is ideal for the team if I can pick up a couple of wickets,” Siraj added.

Mohammed Siraj also impressed at the death overs

Victory ✌🏻 @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/aMJHKcUaK9

— Mohammed Siraj (@mdsirajofficial) April 14, 2021

The RCB pacer has been trolled in the past for leaking too many runs at the death. But Mohammed Siraj seemed to have gained confidence from his opening spell and bowled a solid 19th over for RCB.

Mohammed Siraj came back strong after being hit for six by Rashid Khan off the first ball. He conceded just five runs after that, while also picking up the prized scalp of Jason Holder.

The India international has started IPL 2021 on the right note, impressing in the powerplay overs for RCB. While Mohammed Siraj has picked up two wickets this season, his economy rate of 5.87 is the best in the RCB camp.

Our awardees for tonight! 🙌🏻Well deserved, boys. 👏🏻 👏🏻 #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 #SRHvRCB pic.twitter.com/WRye6HBjuJ

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 14, 2021