Mohammed Siraj was one of the most loyal players at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He played seven seasons for the team and took 99 wickets in 102 matches. But before the IPL 2025 mega auction, RCB decided not to retain him.
At the auction, Gujarat Titans bought Siraj for INR 12.25 crore. The Hyderabad pacer had a decent season in 2025 with 16 wickets in 15 games. His best performance came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he picked four wickets. Many RCB fans were upset with the decision. They felt the speedster always gave his best for the team.
RCB wanted Bhuvneshwar Kumar over Mohammed Siraj
RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, has now revealed the reason behind Siraj’s release. He admitted that Siraj’s case was the toughest to decide.
“Siraj is probably the player we spent the longest time discussing,” Bobat said in an interview with Cricbuzz. “It is not easy to find Indian international bowlers. We thought about every option. Retaining him, releasing him, even trying to buy him back at the auction.”
But Bobat explained that the team wanted to bring in Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The management felt Bhuvi could be effective both with the new ball and in the death overs.
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“We were keen to try and get Bhuvi for two ends of the innings,” Bobat added. “If we had kept Siraj, it would have been difficult to buy Bhuvi. So, we had to make a choice.”
RCB eventually signed Bhuvneshwar for INR 10.75 crore and also brought back Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood for INR 12.50 crore. Both delivered in the season. Hazlewood picked 22 wickets in 12 matches. Bhuvneshwar took 17 wickets in 14 matches.
Bobat also spoke about Cameron Green. He said the only reason Green was not retained was because of his injury. “Had he been fit, we would have almost certainly kept Cameron Green,” Bobat confirmed.
