Hailing from Hyderabad’s lower-middle-class family, the 22-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Siraj struck big on Monday when his bid was raised from the base price of INR 20 Lakh in the 2017 Indian Premier League Auction before being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for massive 2.6 crores.
“Today, I remember my first income playing cricket. It was a club match and my maternal uncle was the captain of the team. I got 9 wickets for 20 odd runs in that 25 over game. My uncle was so happy he gave me Rs 500 as a prize,” Siraj was quoted as saying by TOI.
Impressive with the ball in the domestic leg, Siraj, the autorickshaw driver’s son is hopeful that IPL salary will help his family to overcome financial crunches.
“I want to buy a decent house first. Will see what else to do later,” Siraj expressed.
Siraj’s day was good that he made bidders to spill money on him as several international stars remained unsold during the auction which also included his countrymen Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and premium limited-overs bowler from South Africa Imran Tahir.
As IPL has set the benchmark by including the six Associate Nations players in the auction, the 10th year of the league also saw Indian players bagging lucrative contracts to transform their lives.
Siraj has vowed to use the IPL as a platform to play for the national side some day.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I am thrilled about it as I hadn’t expected to be picked up for such a high price. I was hoping to play for some team this year as I have performed quite well but this price tag is beyond my expectation,” Siraj added.
Siraj after doing well in the Ranji Trophy season for 2016-17 was the third highest wicket-taker by bagging 41 wickets in nine matches that impressed the selectors to pick him for the India A and eventually for the Rest of India squad.
Siraj has praised the efforts of Hyderabad coach Bharat Arun and skipper Subramaniam Badrinath for guiding him through out the season as Hyderabad made into the quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy in the recently concluded season.
“Arun [Bharat] sir and captain Badrinath were the ones who shaped my career. They played a big role in my growth. They motivated me and gave me the confidence to believe in my skills and perform well,” Siraj revealed.
However, Siraj was the part of India A in the playing XI against Australia in the recently concluded three-match practice game at Brabourne Stadium.
“It happens. I was a bit disappointed not to play but I knew that I will get my chance. It was a great thing to watch the Australian fast bowlers from such close quarters,” Siraj remarked.
Among the highest sold players in the auction from India, the leg-spinner Karn Sharma was sold to Mumbai Indians for INR 3.2 crore and Tamil Nadu fast bowler Thangarasu Natarajan was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 3 crores.