IPL 2025: Mohammed Siraj breaks the back of RCB, Jos Buttler ‘chases’ for GT

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Mohammed Siraj was forced to leave his regular workplace, which was with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Seven years with a team he romanced and performed with the white ball, when the smiling Hyderabadi, often addressed to as DSP Siraj, has to seek another option Gujarat Titans were kind at the IPL auction.

It was a bit like transfer at the work place. But then, if you are a fast bowler, it hurts. Forget the images on social media where he was seen hugging Virat Kohli a few days back at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. That was friendship and respect, still intact.

Out there in IPL 2025, Siraj had to forget emotions and come out firing on all cylinders, on Wednesday night in a Bengaluru blockbluster. Dropped from the Indian team for the Champions Trophy owing to lack of form at the BGT Series, Siraj wanted to hit back.

And what a way he did at the same venue where he played in red colours for RCB. To say that the bearded man in blue colours and turning out for Gujarat Titans was special would be an understatement.

To show the same tricks mastered at RCB and now tutored by Ashish Nehra, Siraj broke the spine of the RCB batting. Or, was it a case of spineless batting from RCB, the think-tank would know best.

Be that as it may, for Siraj to bowl four overs and claim the wickets of Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal and Liam Livingstone, whose 54 lent a shade of respect to the RCB total of 169, was defining.

The stands at the Chinnaswamy Stadium were packed to the rafters, some tickets going at astronomical prices. At the same time, what Siraj produced was also feisty stuff. A fast bowler is a bit like a boxer in the ring, you cannot show mercy to the rival pugilist. It has to be a slugfest.

Eventually, Siraj and the pace battery of Gujarat Titans showed that with coach Ashish Nehra patenting a template which focuses on fast bowers making an impact, RCB would come a cropper at their 'home ground.'

The very concept of home advantage in IPL 2025 has been trashed, first, with Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane trashing the pitch prepared by an egoist curator Sujan Mukherjee at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

In Hyderabad, too, the pitch has not been to the comfort of SRH skipper Pat Cummins and his men. And at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and coach ZAK - Zaheer Khan - held their heads in disbelief as the black soil pitch on Tuesday night saw Punjab Kings's medium fast and quicks turn tormentors.

It is good there is no home advantage. The very concept of home ground has become a bit of a joke in the IPL. Come on, Rajasthan Royals playing two matches in Guwahati and calling it a second home, it's absurd.

And Delhi Capitals playing in Vizag, is that home? No way. This time, in Bengaluru, there was no point blaming anyone. RCB can blame themselves for collapsing, as if the earthquake in Myanmar had caused a crevice in the 22-yard pitch.

To fail against Siraj, Arshad Khan, Prasidh Krishna and old fox Ishant Sharma was crazy. And, yes, how does one forge the stuff churned out by Sai Kishore, whose left-arm orthodox stuff was also hard to read. He finished with 2 for 22 in four overs, which was excellent. Earlier on, Sai had scored 49 runs off 36 balls, which was a genuine effort to put GT in control.

A word of praise for GT skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler, who exploded into brilliance. While chasing for GT, Jos showed 'josh' as he had been pushed to the No. 3 position. He adapted well and milked 73 runs off 39 deliveries. For those who know the Englishman and his skills, Buttler showed professionalism and poise. Advantage GT, they seem well prepared in IPL 2025.