Mohammed Siraj has delivered a stunning blow to his former franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, as he led Gujarat Titans to a dominant eight-wicket victory over the hosts in their IPL 2025 clash at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 2.
Mohammed Siraj, who was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the season, returned with a vengeance and delivered the match-winning performance for the Gujarat Titans at the venue that was once his home ground. The Indian pacer was adjudged the Player of the Match award for his fiery spell of 3/19 against the RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Gujarat Titans crush RCB as Mohammed Siraj strikes back with vengeance
Mohammed Siraj dismantled RCB’s batting lineup by sending back Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, and Liam Livingstone, as GT restricted the hosts to 169/8 in their IPL 2025 clash. It was a night where Siraj truly owned the stage, reminding his old team of the mistake they made by letting him go.
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However, the RCB head coach, Andy Flower, hailed Siraj’s incredible performance but made it clear that the franchise is content with its current squad. Flower brushed off the notion that the franchise missed Mohammed Siraj; rather, they are focused on the team’s future.
I wish him all the success in the world: Mohammed Siraj
Andy Flower said at the post-match press conference, “Siraj bowled very well, didn’t he? It is great for him to come here and do that. I thought he bowled an outstanding spell with the new ball. His lines were tight, and the lengths were good. He threatened the stumps a lot. We all rate Siraj very highly, and we love him. I think we had a good auction. I wish him all the success in the world. We are happy with the squad that we have got.”
The match saw contrasting powerplays in Bengaluru. RCB’s aggressive approach in the first six overs backfired as they lost four crucial wickets, while GT played it smart, keeping wickets intact while gradually building the chase. Later, dew played its role, and the Titans managed to stun the RCB.
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Flower explained where RCB lost the match to GT: “When they came out chasing a smaller total than what is normal in Chinnaswamy, you could see they played more carefully in the powerplay and tried to keep wickets in hand. We played aggressively in the powerplay and lost four wickets in the powerplay. So that was a big swing in the game.”
GT played better than us: RCB coach on shocking loss in the IPL 2025 match
He gave credit to the Titans for playing smart cricket in Bengaluru, but cried over the nature of the pitch. The coach signed off by saying, “Often, if you lose in the power play, you are in trouble. There was quite a lot of dew out there.
I think the dry ball did grip off the seam, and I think that was fairly important in the context of the game. It wasn’t a typical Chinnaswamy wicket, where you expect the ball to come quicker than that. GT played better than us and were sharper than us.”
Notably, RCB will next face Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 7 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the ongoing IPL 2025, while GT will take on the SRH on April 6 in their next game.
