Here is why RCB released Mohammed Siraj

Mohamed Siraj’s exit from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) last year came as a shock for many. He had been a part of the franchise for 7 straight years until he was released before the 2025 mega auctions.

The team built a fresh core of fast bowlers with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal, which eventually worked as RCB went on to win their first title in 18 years.

RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, recently opened up on parting ways with Siraj. Speaking to Cricbuzz, the former said the team wanted to have Bhuvneshwar, but that would have been difficult in the presence of Siraj.

“Siraj is probably the player that we spent the longest deliberating over,” Bobat admitted.

“Indian international bowlers are not that easy to get. We discussed every eventuality with Siraj, whether to retain him, release him, or use the Right to Match. It was not a straightforward call,” he further explained.

Eventually, RCB secured Hazlewood for Rs 12.50 crore and Bhuvneshwar for Rs 10.75 crore, while Siraj went to the Gujarat Titans for Rs 12.25 crore.

“We were keen to try and get Bhuvi for two ends of the innings. Keeping Siraj would have made that difficult. There is never just one reason; several factors come into play,” he said.

Siraj played for RCB for seven years, taking 99 wickets in 102 matches. He had a steady season with the Gujarat Titans, picking up 16 wickets in 15 matches. On the Other hand, Bhuvneshwar played a crucial role in RCB’s title run with 17 wickets.

Josh Hazlewood won the Purple Cap with 22 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of under nine.

Bobat Opens On Cameron Green

Mo Bobat also revealed why Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was not retained. The latter was part of RCB in IPL 2024 and scored 255 runs in 13 matches. He also picked up 10 wickets at an average of 30.30.

“Had he been fit, we would almost certainly have retained him,” he said.