Mohammed Siraj is the new fast bowling sensation of India and he has proven himself to be a valuable addition in the RCB ranks, addressing a major concern of death bowling that has cost the team dearly throughout the tournament’s glittering antiquity.

Irrespective of his meteoric rise in the sport with time, he almost succumbed to the baptism of fire, with his career headed towards a path of precarious decline. In 2019, Royal Challengers Bangalore lost their opening six games and Siraj was leaking runs at an economy rate of 9.55.

He hit rock-bottom in 2019 when Kolkata Knight Riders hammered him mercilessly, eking out 36 runs from 2.2 overs. Things turned worse as he was taken off the bowling after firing two consecutive beamers.

The young sensation from Hyderabad found himself reeling in the wake of the hate that the fans had for him. That season could only produce 7 wickets for our beloved Miyan.

Talking on the RCB podcast, Siraj quoted, “When I bowled those two beamers against KKR, people said 'quit cricket and go back and drive autos with your father. There were so many such comments. And people don't see the struggle behind all this. But I remember when I first got selected how Mahi Bhai [MS Dhoni] told me to not listen to everything the people have to say about me. 'You do well today and they'll praise you and when you don't the same people will abuse you. So don't ever take it seriously.' And yes, the same people who trolled me incessantly back then say 'you're the best bowler bhai'. So, I know. I don't want anybody's opinion. I'm the same Siraj I was back then."

He turned around the tide, bolstering his rise with another rollicking display against the same opponent that left him rattled. KKR found themselves at the receiving end of Siraj’s ire as he claimed 3 for 8, also becoming the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs across the entire span of the tournament. This can very well be an act of poetic justice for the man who was almost fading away into oblivion.

He further added, “2019 the performance with RCB was so bad that I thought that's the end of my IPL career. But then I realized that I still have age on my side. So I decided to trust myself a bit and thankfully the RCB management also backed me a lot at that time. I almost thought any franchise in their position would have let go of a bowler after that kind of performance, but they backed me, and then 2020 the game against KKR was a life-changing game for me.”