Mohammed Siraj has struggled for form and consistency in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer has conceded runs aplenty and hasn’t picked wickets in regular intervals, unlike his previous couple of seasons. Siraj also feels that he hasn’t delivered on the team’s expectations so far this season and is hoping to turn a corner soon as far as his form is concerned.
The 28-year-old fast bowler believes that the key to getting his campaign back on track will be with wickets in the powerplay. Taking wickets in the powerplay helps any bowler to get into a quick rhythm early in the match which they can capitalize on in the latter stages as well.
“I haven’t performed the way I wanted to. What the team wants from Siraj, I haven’t been able to do that so far. I am focusing my preparation on my role which is to get wickets in the powerplay and set the tone for the team. That’s my plan,” he said while speaking to Star Sports before the clash against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
Siraj further went on to admit that his bowling hasn’t been uniform and has lacked consistency all season. He hopes to bowl in the right areas to make an impact as soon as possible.
“My role is to deliver in the powerplay and at the death. I think my consistency hasn’t been up to the mark. I’ll try my best to bowl at one spot in the powerplay. Even if I get hit for runs with the batter hitting a good shot then also it’s not a big deal because he’s here to play as well. But I will try and bowl consistently on spot,” he added.
Mohammed Siraj also went wicketless in the match against CSK where he conceded 22 runs in his two overs. Captain Faf du Plessis turned towards Glenn Maxwell as an additional bowling option because of the way he leaked runs during the run-chase.
He has picked up eight wickets in 11 matches in IPL 2021. His average and economy rate has also declined this season. Siraj has an average of 47.38 and an economy rate of 9.48 so far this season.