Mohammed Siraj

The breakthrough led to an IPL contract. At the 2017 auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid 2.6 crore rupees for him against a base price of 20 lakh. Coach Tom Moody liked how Siraj generated pace and bounce without being especially tall. He took 10 wickets in only six games, though he conceded runs freely, and the franchise let him go the following season. Royal Challengers Bangalore then outbid four other teams to sign him for 2.6 crore in 2018. Once he broke into the side, Virat Kohli used him at the death, and his 11 wickets earned him a retention. His early IPL seasons were costly, but from 2022 he became far more dependable for RCB, despite the small Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore did not retain him ahead of the mega auction, and Gujarat Titans bought him for 12.25 crore.

On the domestic circuit, he played just one Ranji match in 2017-18. He made up for it in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 23 wickets from 7 games, including three five-wicket hauls, and added 10 wickets in 5 Syed Mushtaq Ali matches.

Siraj first played for India in 2017 but did not hold a regular place. That changed in December 2020, when an injury to Mohammed Shami opened the door for a Test debut at the MCG. With other senior bowlers injured, he was leading India's attack by the end of the series, which India won 2-1 in Australia.

He also became a strong ODI bowler, dangerous with the new ball, and reached the top of the world ODI bowling rankings in January 2023. In the 2023 Asia Cup final in Sri Lanka, he took 6/21 to help India beat the hosts. He shared new-ball duties with Jasprit Bumrah in India's World Cup squad. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, he played every match of the USA stage before Kuldeep Yadav took his place in the West Indies.