Team India bowler Mohammed Siraj comes from humble beginnings, his father was an autorickshaw driver, his mother a housewife, but that did not stop Siraj from dreaming big.
The lanky fast bowler was playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) decided to splash INR 2.6 crore in the IPL auction 2018 to acquire his services.
He’s come a long way since and was recently named in RCB’s top 3 picks ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. The 27-year-old more than doubled his value when RCB retained him for INR 7 crore, alongside Virat Kohli and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.
As he prepares to pay back the faith of RCB in the upcoming IPL season, Mohammed Siraj revealed how IPL completely transformed his life. He also revealed the first things he bought after being picked by Sunrisers for IPL 2017.
Speaking on RCB’s podcast, Siraj recalled candidly, “First thing, I bought was iPhone 7+. Then I bought a second-hand car, Corolla. Car is important. IPL players need to have a car. For how long do I push around a Platina? But I didn’t know how to drive. My uncle’s son knew to drive so I called him every time I wanted to go out.”
The right-arm pacer also revealed last year that he still has his old Platina bike, which acts as a symbol of his rise to the top.
In an earlier interview, Siraj had revealed that it was his father’s dream to see him represent India on the international stage. Sadly, his father passed away in November, Siraj was in Australia at the time, but instead of returning back home, the Hyderabad born pacer stayed back to fulfil his father’s wishes.
As India took on Australia in Sydney, cameras captured an emotional Siraj with tears in his eyes as the Indian players sang the national anthem.
