From Rag to riches: Incredible story of Mohammad Siraj, son of an auto driver

The progression of Mohammad Siraj from poverty into the glitz and glamour of the cash-rich Indian Premier League is one of the many tales to tell. Kings XI’s T Natarajan is a renowned story from Tamil Nadu this season. Siraj hails from Hyderabad. The son of an auto driver Mohammed Ghaus and Shabana Begum could not believe it when he was bought by Laxman and co. in this year’s IPL auction.

The young cricketer who seemed contended with a prize money of Rs 500, after performing well in a club match, fell numb after viewing his prize tag of 2.6 crores at the end of this year’s auction. In a club match, he picked 9 wickets and was rewarded with a prize money of Rs. 500 and that made him feel great at that time.

“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” said Siraj post-IPL auction, this February.

He has not disappointed in IPL until now. In the limited opportunities he has had, the right-arm pacer has impressed one and all with his pace and zeal. In three games Siraj played, he went on to pick up four crucial wickets for his side. Last night against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he took the prized scalp of the free-flowing stroke-maker Sunil Narine and the top scorer Robin Uthappa, which deflated KKR’s hope to chase down the mammoth total set by the home team.

David Warner was equally impressed with the 23-year-old’s performance last night and was willing to provide greater opportunities to the Hyderabadi pacer. “Siraj is learning on the go and that is what we expect. It is fantastic. That is the quality of this Sunrisers unit. We are not harsh critics but we allow the guys to get chances and the way he has come out and taken his chances is fantastic,” commented Warner according to IPLT20.com