Mohammed Siraj

Consistent performance with the red ball in domestic cricket ensured Siraj got an IPL contract as early as 2017. He took ten wickets in six games for Sunrisers Hyderabad in his first IPL season. The youngster’s performance was decent, but the management released him ahead of the 2018 mega auction, where RCB secured his services.

At RCB, Siraj was mentored by then-Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who kept full faith despite his erratic bowling in the first two seasons. The pacer showed improvement, picking up 11 wickets apiece in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

But in 2022, his wickets column dried up, and with nine wickets, his RCB future was in jeopardy. With his reputation on the line, Siraj delivered in 2023, picking up 23 wickets, settling the argument that he, indeed, is the ringleader of the RCB pace attack.