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By his own lofty standards, Mohammed Siraj had an unimpressive IPL 2022, taking only nine wickets in 15 games at an economy rate of 10.08 but in the ongoing 2023 season, the India pacer has turned a corner, becoming a mainstay with the ball for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
On Thursday, at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali, Siraj breathed fire in power-play and death overs to pick a career-best 4/21 in the league and take Bangalore to a 24-run win over Punjab Kings. The spell also propelled Siraj to be leading wicket-taker of the competition with 12 wickets in six games at an average of 13.41 and economy rate of 6.71. After being adjudged as the Player of the Match, Siraj said in the post-match presentation ceremony that he looked to get the high confidence from his scintillating run in ODIs to IPL 2023. In ODIs this year, Siraj picked 19 wickets in eight matches for India at an average of 13.21 and economy rate of 4.61, making decisive strikes in power-play and held on the number one spot in bowlers' rankings for a brief period too. "Even in the ODIs, my rhythm was good, my confidence was high and I have brought that into this season of the IPL. The first ball (to Atharva Taide) was a little short. Then, I tried to bowl a little fuller because I was getting shape. If I pick wickets in the powerplay, the opposition is put under pressure," Siraj said. Siraj also effected a brilliant run-out of Harpreet Singh Bhatia through a sharp direct hit from mid-off. "I am a good fielder; I just make a few mistakes once in a while. I always try to keep improving on every aspect so that I can remain a part of the team," he added. Siraj also attributed his good performance to working on fitness during the lockdown period. "The lockdown was very important for me. I was quite down before that because I used to be expensive earlier. I focused on my gym training, on my bowling and I wanted to do well," the pacer said. Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who supported Siraj with his 2/39 in four overs, said he chose to bowl his main deliveries after watching the Punjab bowlers getting some grip from the pitch. "When we were batting first, I saw the wicket gripping so I tried to bowl my wicket-taking options every time. That (run-out of Sam Curran) was unbelievable. RCB is always a good franchise and I am enjoying it very much," said Hasaranga. With six points from as many games, Bangalore's next match in IPL 2023 will be against Rajasthan Royals at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, on Sunday. --IANS nr/ak ( 481 Words) 2023-04-20-20:26:02 (IANS)
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