Was emotional and nervous, says Siraj

You could sense from the spring in his stride on Wednesday that Mohammed Siraj meant business.

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI: He was after all up against many batters who were his teammates last year. Also, he was on familiar turf—the Chinnaswamy stadium which had always cheered for him in the past. This time, Siraj was in different colours, an RCB reject with a point to prove.

Which is why his neat work (4-0-19-3) for his new franchise Gujarat Titans would have meant so much more to Siraj. Now, having to tussle with your past teammates is a four-year affair in the IPL universe. Every fourth year, the mega auction forces teams to overhaul. Although they have the option to retain their core for a sizable sum. The RCB management did not think it was worth spending 10-plus crores for Siraj. Instead, they went for Yash Dayal, a value buy for half that sum.