On this day in 2018 – Mohammed Siraj, the fast-bowling Enforcer arrives at RCB

“When SRH won the IPL, I was in the stands watching them lift the trophy. The very next year, I got called to play for them,” said Mohammed Siraj, in a heartfelt chat in 2023.

“My first earning was INR 500 because I claimed nine wickets in my first league match for my uncle’s club in Hyderabad. I gave Rs 300 to my home,” also said our very own Miyan.

The aforementioned lines talk about struggles, struggles that can dent, slice and blight a childhood dream from its very core. What follows suit are two ways, either you embrace mediocrity and live there complaining forever or you challenge the universe and start taking one step at a time towards destiny. Miyan chose the latter.

So how did it all happen? What changed along the way that landed him from a local club to one of the biggest IPL franchises of the world? Well, truth be told, it’s his belief, his aggression, his diligence and most importantly his hunger to do it over and over again unless he gets the moves right.

“When I claimed nine wickets in my first league match, there were people who would high-five me inside the ground and then as soon as I would start pushing my bike outside the club, they would stare down at me with their Mercedes-ridden eyes,” said Siraj. 

“I would go to play with slippers. I got Rs 70 per day. How can I buy shoes with that?” Siraj also added.

So what changed from that? His ability to never back down. The fire in his belly burning bright. And most importantly his eye to detail infused with a daydream that he was meant for the stars someday and he was not backing down from that.

“I was 19 years old when a club contacted me, asking me to play for them. I wasn’t convinced because that was also my breadwinner. However, I agreed to play when they said that they would pay for my petrol and would also give me a jersey. They handed me the deuce ball for the first time and I had no idea about what swing is. I just wanted to bowl fast. I took five wickets in the first match. They were beaten by my pace. And I also got to wear the spikes for the first time in my life. I was amazed,” said Siraj.

From the rusty alleyways of middle-class to donning the Red and Gold threads, as he barreled through the gates of Buttler and Andre Russell alike, a star was born. A star that would not only make an entire nation dream but also make a thousand hearts in the Chinnaswamy flutter together in hope of the impossible. From those fast deliveries with no movement to being the master of banana swing that would petrify the world, Miyan was forged of fire.

Well, he may have started the IPL for SRH but then a couple of years later when he was released into the auction in 2018, the Royal Challengers came knocking. They knew from the word ‘go’ that Miyan was meant for magic and it would only be unfair to not give him a chance.

Six years later, on the same day, here we are, screaming our lungs out for Miyan as he keeps on troubling the batters with almost relentless brutality and that same belief that fueled the fire in his belly which has now turned into a conflagration. Happy RCB day to you, Miyan. Keep ravaging those timber for breakfast.