As the IPL auction 2017, witnessed several exciting but a Hyderabad boy surprised everyone by bagging a deal of Rs 2.60 crore.
Interestingly, cricketers like Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t have any takers at the auction. Mohammed Siraj was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 2.6 crore, who had set his base price at a mere Rs 2 lakh.
Siraj had made his debut in November 2015 in Ranji Trophy, started playing Twenty20 matches last year at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Siraj generated great pace and that caught the attention of the selectors. He was picked up for the U-23 probables’ team and got a five wicket haul which helped him get a berth in the Hyderabad U-23 team. He continued to pick up wickets regularly and became a frontline bowler for the team.
After the auction, a delighted Siraj stated that it had always been a dream of his to play at the IPL and thanked his performance at the Ranji trophy for the crucial break-through.
The son of an autorickshaw driver, Siraj has, in a short span of three years, carved a niche for himself. “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 said.
Hailing from a lower middle class family, it is but obvious that he is indebted to his parents for their sacrifices in making him a professional cricketer.
“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. It was a great feeling. But today when the bid was raised to Rs 2.6 crore, I just went numb,” Siraj told PTI during an interaction from Hyderabad.
“Mere walid saab (Father) ne bahot mehnat ki hain (My father has slogged). He drove auto all these years but never let financial pressure of the family affect me or my elder brother. A bowling spikes costs a lot and he would just get the best for me. I want to buy a house for them now in a good locality,” an emotional Siraj said.
“My parents have seen hard days. Today my elder brother is a software engineer in a reputed IT firm. I didn’t have interest in studies and my mother would bash me up giving my elder brother’s example. But today she’s on top of the world,” said Siraj.
“However, I managed to complete my intermediate from Shafa Junior College but was not much into studies. My passion was to play cricket at the highest level,” he said.
“I want to buy a decent house first. Will see what else to do later,” he said when asked how he plans to use the money.
