‘We all rate Siraj very highly, and we love him. I think we had a good auction. I wish him all the success in the world’
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower had nothing but admiration for Mohammed Siraj after the Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer produced a match-winning spell against his former team.
Siraj, named Player of the Match, dismantled RCB’s top order with a fiery 3/19, leading GT to a dominant 8-wicket victory at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Flower, while acknowledging Siraj’s brilliance, maintained that RCB was content with their current squad despite having let go of the pace spearhead.
“Siraj bowled very well, didn't he? It is great for him to come here and do that. I thought he bowled an outstanding spell with the new ball. His lines were tight, and the lengths were good. He threatened the stumps a lot,” Flower remarked in the post-match press conference.
Despite Siraj’s stellar performance, Flower insisted that RCB had no regrets about their squad choices.
“We all rate Siraj very highly, and we love him. I think we had a good auction. I wish him all the success in the world. We are happy with the squad that we have got,” Flower said.
He also pinpointed the powerplay as the decisive phase of the game. RCB’s aggressive start backfired, resulting in four quick wickets and putting them on the back foot.
In contrast, GT adopted a cautious approach, preserving wickets and controlling the chase.
“When they came out chasing a smaller total than what is normal in Chinnaswamy, you could see they played more carefully in powerplay and tried to keep wickets in hand. We played aggressively in the powerplay and lost four wickets. So that was obviously a big swing in the game. Often, if you lose in the powerplay, you are in trouble,” Flower explained.
He also highlighted the role of conditions, particularly the dew factor, in the outcome.
“The toss was reasonably important. There was quite a lot of dew out there. The dry ball did grip off the seam, and I think that was fairly important in the context of the game. It wasn't a typical Chinnaswamy wicket, where you expect the ball to come quicker than that. GT played better than us and were sharper than us,” he concluded.
For Siraj, the night was a perfect response to his former team, proving why he remains one of India’s most lethal fast bowlers. For RCB, it was a reality check—one that might force them to rethink their strategies as the tournament progresses.
© 2025