Mohammed Siraj's New Ball Magic Glows in IPL 2025

Mohammed Siraj has begun IPL 2025 with a lot of fire in his bowling. He has picked 6 wickets for a mere 69 runs in 11 overs in the powerplay this season. His economy rate in this time is 6.27 which is amazing. No bowler has picked more wickets in the powerplay after the tournament's first 19 matches. Siraj is not only picking up wickets but also creating pressure. He bowled 13 dot balls in mere three overs in a match and that also explains how close to the helmet and tight and precise he was being.

During his recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad he bowling quite well with precision and eliminated both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma early on. These two hitters were SRH's main players and had been quickly scoring in previous matches. However, Siraj did not let them settle in. He threw good length deliveries and made them err. One got caught at mid-wicket and another at mid-on. During that match, Siraj had his best T20 figures of 4 wickets for 17 runs.

Siraj is demonstrating why he is among the top bowlers in the powerplay. His capability to remain consistent with the good length is assisting him to claim wickets. Out of the 43 balls he bowled at good length he claimed all 6 wickets and conceded only 45 runs. He does not bowl too full or too short. This makes it difficult for the batters to take risks. He has maintained a dot-ball percentage of 63.6 which is among the top for all the bowlers so far in the tournament. Only Josh Hazlewood has performed better in this department.

In one of the earlier matches against Punjab Kings in the season, Siraj gave only 14 runs off two overs in the powerplay. But after that the batsmen scored big and the side was unable to defend. Despite all this, Siraj performed his task well with the new ball. In another match he dismissed the big fish Rohit Sharma with a ball which seamed in sharply. He also over-turned Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal who were attempting to play aggressively. Even when Jos Buttler dropped his catch while bowling Siraj was not distracted and came back stronger.

The powerplay is one of the most important aspects of the game in IPL. Those teams who perform well during this period tend to win. This has held good for RCB as well. In the previous season RCB had won four out of the six home games in which Siraj featured. In those matches he had taken 4 wickets in the powerplay while maintaining his economy rate at 8. But in the two games they lost his bowling average was not that good. He conceded 42 runs in a mere three overs total. It indicates how vital his initial overs are to the team's victory.

From his overall IPL career the figures also are in agreement with this. When RCB won Siraj has picked up 30 wickets in 92 overs in the powerplay at an average of 22.56 and a strike rate of 18.4. But in the games they lost he picked up only 12 wickets in 76 overs at a much higher average of 57.33. His economy rate also increases up to 9.05 in those matches.

Previously Gujarat Titans used to have a good powerplay bowling attack. They picked 50 wickets during this period in their initial two seasons. Mohammed Shami was their leading bowler with 28 wickets. But in 2024 in his absence their bowlers conceded 9.42 runs per over during the first six overs which was worst among all the teams. They ultimately managed to finish eighth in the league. This demonstrates the kind of effect that a fine new ball bowler can make.

Siraj is not new to delivering on the big stage. He was the hero in the Asia Cup 2023 final when he claimed 5 wickets in the initial 10 overs against Sri Lanka. Actually he claimed four wickets in an individual over which is extremely uncommon. He was also an integral part of India's journey to World Cup 2023 final. Despite not being selected for the latest Champions Trophy, he appears keen to show that he is good enough again. His performance during IPL 2025 till date indicates that he is ready to go and sharp.

If he maintains this form he will remain a match-winner for RCB and could soon be back in the national team. His early-strike and tightness ability is turning out to be a game-changer. Everyone, including fans and experts, is keeping an eye on him as he excels with the new ball again.