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.