IPL 2025: RCB think tank reveals ‘major decision’ not to retain Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Babat have shed light on the former finalists’ decision not to retain fast bowler Mohammed Siraj ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

In a move that surprised many, RCB chose not to retain Siraj, who has been supporting the pacer since his debut season in 2018. RCB retained just three players — Virat Kohli at Rs 21 crore, Rajat Patidar at Rs 11 crore and Yash Dayal at Rs 5 crore. RCB has helped raise some doubts by keeping Yash ahead of Siraj next season.

Speaking to the team after the exclusions were announced on October 31, Andy Flower said that RCB wanted to retain a left-arm pacer and this worked in Yash Dayal’s favour.

“I’m sure one of the surprises about our retention will be that we haven’t retained Mohamed Siraj. Mohamed Siraj is a successful international cricketer and has also been with RCB for the last eight years,” Andy Flower said. in question.

“We want to look for some specific skills in the fast bowling department. We have already identified and retained one of the specific skills we want, namely the left-arm angle and T20 skills that Yash Dayal brings to us,” he added.

Siraj was one of RCB’s key players, especially in the last few years when Hyderabad emerged as one of India’s premier bowlers across all formats.

Siraj took 83 wickets in 87 matches for RCB in the IPL. Siraj was retained for Rs 7 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction but was released despite the pacer picking 15 wickets last season.

BIG DECISION TO BE MADE

Mo Babat revealed that the RCB think tank spent a long time thinking about the Siraj decision and added that the team is focusing on adding variety to the bowling attack to help cope with the batsman-friendly nature of the stadium in Bengaluru.

“Probably the most time-consuming debate for us was our decision to keep or release Mohamed Siraj. When he lifts his tail, he brings a real fire that you can see that becomes contagious for the rest of the team.” “He’s coming back pretty strongly from Virat and the combination of those two, all those skills and attributes, it was a big decision for us not to keep Siraj,” he said.

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been one of the most batting-friendly venues in the IPL over the years.

It remains to be seen whether RCB will use one of their three remaining Right to Match (RTM) cards to secure Siraj’s services in the auction.