Hyderabad is my home...: GT's Siraj ahead of clash against SRH in IPL 2025

ANI April 6, 2025 204 views

Mohammed Siraj is set to play a pivotal match in his hometown of Hyderabad, bringing emotional significance to the IPL encounter. Gujarat Titans, currently third in the points table, will face a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad team desperate for a win. Siraj expressed excitement about playing in front of his home crowd and remains focused on delivering a strong performance. The match promises high drama with star players like Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, and Travis Head in action.

"Hyderabad is my home. I have been born and brought up here." - Mohammed Siraj
Hyderabad, April 6: Ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) home clash against Gujarat Titans (GT), GT pacer Mohammed Siraj opened up on playing in front of his home crowd where his life and cricketing journey started.

Key Points

1

Siraj eager to perform in hometown

2

GT third in points table with two wins

3

SRH battling at bottom after tough start

4

Exciting match-up with star players

The IPL campaign of SRH, last year's trailblazers, has started on an extremely poor note. After a hard-hitting win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), they have slipped down to the bottom of the points table with three losses. Now, their task is cut out, to deal with a GT line-up featuring stars like skipper Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Siraj. With two wins and a loss, GT is at the third place in the points, as compared to SRH which is placed at the bottom.

Speaking in a video posted on IPL's official website, Siraj said, "Hyderabad is my home. I have been born and brought up here. Whenever I come here, it feels like home, my family and friends will come. When I will play in front of Hyderabad crowd, I would really feel excited."

So far, Siraj has taken five wickets in three games at an average of 21.40 for GT, with best figures of 3/19 against RCB coming at his former home stadium, M Chinnaswammy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Speaking about his approach to the game, he said, "My aim is when I come to the ground, my focus is on the ball for those 120 balls. Ball by ball."

On the challenge posed by an attacking SRH line-up featuring Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the top and Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma and Heinrich Klaasen in the middle, Siraj said, "The team combination (of GT) is great. Shubman Gill gives us a lot of freedom. There is Jos Buttler, the mystery spinner, Rashid Khan. SRH's batting line-up is very great. They have attacking batters and we must be clear about the plans. We are ready and excited for the battle."

Squads:

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kamindu Mendis, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Simarjeet Singh, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide, Eshan Malinga, Sachin Baby

Gujarat Titans Squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Jayant Yadav, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gerald Coetzee, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Love seeing Siraj's emotional connection with Hyderabad! It's rare to see players being this open about their roots. Hope he gets a warm welcome from the crowd despite playing for the opposition. 🤗
P
Priya M.
SRH really needs to step up their game. Three losses already? As a fan since 2016, this is painful to watch. Maybe they should try changing the batting order - Head and Abhishek aren't clicking as openers.
A
Arjun S.
Siraj's numbers this season are impressive! That 3/19 against RCB was 🔥. GT's bowling attack looks lethal with him and Rashid Khan. SRH batters better be prepared!
S
Sanjana T.
While I appreciate Siraj's sentiment, I wish he'd focus more on his current team than his hometown connections. As a GT fan, I want 100% commitment to the franchise that's paying him.
V
Vikram J.
That GT lineup is stacked! Gill, Buttler, Siraj, Rashid... scary team to face. SRH needs a miracle to turn their season around. Maybe Cummins should bowl himself more?
N
Neha P.
"Ball by ball" - love that approach from Siraj! Such a simple yet effective mindset. More players should focus on the present moment like this instead of worrying about the big picture all the time.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
IPL 2025 Mohammed Siraj Gujarat Titans Sunrisers Hyderabad Cricket Shubman Gill Travis Head
You May Like!