IPL 2025: Local Lads Mohd Siraj and Prasidh Krishna Silence Bengaluru Crowd
Inspired pace bowling by 'Bengaluru products' at Chinnaswamy Stadium shuts out RCB
For seven years till 2025, Mohd Siraj was the pace spearhead for RCB. He was its highest wicket-taker in 2024 (15 wickets in 14 matches). But when the Bengaluru franchise let him ahead of the mega auction, he must have felt let down. But such things come with the territory.
So stepping into the Chinnaswamy cauldron Siraj had more than a point to prove. The crowd, which was so used to pepping him up, was now against him. But Miyan turned in one of the most powerful opening spells in this season. Bowling with an extra buzz, he extracted both bounce and movement.
His length too was spot on, and the batters had no width to flail their bats around. For his plucky opening spell, Siraj secured two wickets, and shut out RCB right in the powerplay --- 38 for 3 in six overs. From which, the local franchise never really recovered in the contest. The express delivery to snuff out Phil Salt encompassed Siraj's mindset last night: It was aggression to counter aggression. His final analysis of 3 for 19 in his 4 overs was overall more impressive than the already impressive numbers suggest.
It was just not Siraj alone who kept Bengaluru fans quiet. Another local lad Prasidh Krishna was also in the act.Prasidh has never played for RCB, but this Bengaluru born speedster is a top performer for Karnataka in List A tournaments. So in that sense, Chinnaswamy Stadium was his own ken. And he too turned in an attractive performance against RCB. His figures 1 for 26 in 4 overs may not have matched Siraj's, but his first 3 overs were miserly, and helped check the RCB batters' flow.
He has come into the 2025 IPL after battling injuries. He did not get to play in the previous two editions of IPL. So, moving from RR to GT this season, Prasidh Krishna too had a lot at stake. The first match against Punjab didn't go the way he might have wanted. But he bounced back quickly against MI with a solid show. His 2 for 18 was a match-deciding effort in that encounter.
After last night's bravura performance, the local lads, so to say, must have felt really at home.
