Mohammed Siraj won the Player of the Match award for the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He dedicated his award to former Hyderabad Ranji opener Abdul Azeem, who passed away on April 18. Azeem was a former Hyderabad cricketer and one of the finest openers in the domestic circuit. During his career, he played 73 first-class games between 1980 to 1995, slamming 12 centuries and 18 fifties. Siraj took to Twitter to dedicate his award to Azeem. With six points from as many games, Bangalore’s next match in IPL 2023 will be against Rajasthan Royals at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Siraj also revealed how the COVID lockdown was important for him to focus on his gym and bowling. “The lockdown was very important for me. I was quite down before that because I used to be expensive earlier. I focused on my gym training, on my bowling and I wanted to do well,” Siraj said in a post-match conference. “Even in the ODIs, my rhythm was good, my confidence was high and I have brought that into this season of the IPL. The first ball (to Atharva Taide) was a little short. Then, I tried to bowl a little fuller because I was getting shape. If I pick wickets in the powerplay, the opposition is put under pressure,” added Siraj.
“I am a good fielder; I just make a few mistakes once in a while. I always try to keep improving on every aspect so that I can remain a part of the team,” the pacer said.
