Mohammed Siraj Biography: Wife, Age, Height, Family, Qualification, Early Life, Personal Life, Total Wickets, IPL Career, International Career & Full Career Story
Quick Facts: Mohammed Siraj Bio at a Glance
Detail | Information |
Full name | Mohammed Siraj |
Date of birth | 13 March 1994 |
Age (2026) | 32 years |
Birthplace | Secunderabad, Telangana (then Andhra Pradesh) |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Weight | Around 75 kg |
Role | Right-arm fast bowler |
Batting style | Right-handed |
Nickname | Miya Magic |
Religion | Islam |
Current teams | India, Gujarat Titans, Hyderabad |
Jersey number | 73 |
Mohammed Siraj’s Current Teams
- International: India (Test, ODI, and T20I formats)
- Indian Premier League (IPL): Gujarat Titans. He moved to Gujarat Titans in the 2025 mega auction after seven seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
- Domestic First-Class / List A / T20: Hyderabad
Debut Timeline: When Siraj Joined Each Team
Team/Format | Debut date |
Hyderabad (Ranji Trophy) | 15 November 2015 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) | 2017 season |
India T20I | 4 November 2017, vs New Zealand |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (IPL) | 2018 season |
India ODI | 15 January 2019, vs Australia |
India Test | 26 December 2020, vs Australia (Melbourne) |
Gujarat Titans (IPL) | 2025 mega auction |
Early Life
Siraj was born on 13 March 1994 in Secunderabad, a part of Hyderabad, in what was then Andhra Pradesh and is now Telangana. He grew up in a rented flat and his family did not have much money to spare. He picked up cricket the way most kids in that part of Hyderabad do, playing tennis-ball games on the street rather than in any academy.
He first got interested in the game while in class seven, after being part of a team that won an inter-school tournament, and he would frequently skip classes to play tennis-ball cricket in his neighbourhood. He originally wanted to be a batsman. It was only when his friends kept telling him his bowling was better than his batting that he switched focus.
He did not touch a proper leather cricket ball until 2015, at the fairly late age of 19 for a professional cricketer. A friend convinced him to try it, and he later said, “I started with tennis ball cricket, then around two-three years back, I started playing in club leagues with the cricket ball”.
His discovery story is one of the more grounded parts of his journey. He joined the Charminar Cricket Club in Hyderabad after a vegetable seller named Mohammed Kaleem spotted him playing on the streets and told his friend, coach Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, about him. The coach went to meet Siraj personally, watched him bowl, and inducted him into the club. In his very first match with a proper leather ball, Siraj took five wickets, then followed it up with 15 more wickets across his next two matches.
His nickname “Miya Magic” comes from fans and teammates and refers to the way he can turn a match around with a sudden burst of wickets, pulling off something close to magic when the team needs it most.
Mohammed Siraj’s Family
His father, Mirza Mohammed Ghaus, drove an autorickshaw in Hyderabad to support the household. Money was tight throughout Siraj’s childhood, and there were periods where he practiced barefoot or in slippers because proper shoes were out of reach. His father never stopped him from playing, even when there was no clear path to a career in it. Mirza Mohammed Ghaus passed away suddenly of a heart attack in November 2020, while Siraj was on tour in Australia with the Indian team. We cover this moment and what happened next in the international career section below, because it shaped one of the most emotional chapters of his career.
His mother, Shabana Begum, is a homemaker who held the family together through years of financial strain.
His elder brother, Mohammed Ismail, is an engineer by training. He is the one who first recognised Siraj’s talent seriously and pushed him to pursue cricket as a career rather than just a pastime. Ismail has stayed closely involved in Siraj’s life and continues to help manage some of his affairs off the field.
The family speaks Hyderabadi Urdu, sometimes called Deccani Urdu, at home, which is common among Hyderabadi Muslim families and reflects the city’s cultural mix of Urdu, Telugu and Persian influences.
Educational Qualification
Siraj’s schooling took a back seat once cricket started demanding more of his time. He completed his intermediate, which is the 12th class level in the Indian education system, and did not go on to pursue a college degree. By his own admission in early interviews, his teenage years were split mostly between studying and playing cricket, but as soon as opportunities in the sport opened up, formal education stopped being the priority.
This detail became publicly relevant years later. When the Telangana government appointed him as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, an honour normally requiring a university degree for that grade of government post, the state exempted him from the standard educational requirement, with the Chief Minister noting that Siraj had passed intermediate but was given the exemption to allow him to take up the post.
Domestic Cricket Career
Siraj’s rise through domestic cricket was fast by any standard. He made his first-class debut for Hyderabad on 15 November 2015 in the Ranji Trophy, against Services, under coach Karthik Udupa. His Twenty20 debut followed in January 2016 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The real breakthrough came in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season, only his second full season in the tournament. Siraj picked up 41 wickets in nine matches at an average of 18.92, finishing as Hyderabad’s highest wicket-taker and helping the team reach the knockouts for the first time since 2011-12. That season also earned him a place in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup.
He kept up that form the following year, topping the wicket charts in the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 23 wickets in seven matches.
IPL Career Journey
Sunrisers Hyderabad (2017)
His domestic form did not go unnoticed. Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up for INR 2.6 crore in the 2017 IPL auction, a huge jump from his base price of just INR 20 lakh. Playing under David Warner with VVS Laxman as mentor, Siraj had a solid debut season, taking 10 wickets in six matches, including a four-wicket haul against Gujarat Lions that helped his team make the playoffs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2018-2024)
Siraj moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2018 and spent the next seven seasons there, becoming one of Virat Kohli’s most trusted bowlers, especially in the powerplay and at the death. In October 2020, he became the first bowler in IPL history to bowl consecutive maiden overs in a single match. His best individual IPL season came in 2023, when he took 19 wickets in 14 matches. He was released by RCB ahead of the 2025 mega auction.
Gujarat Titans (2025-present)
Gujarat Titans signed him for INR 12.25 crore at the 2025 mega auction. His first season with the franchise brought 16 wickets in 15 matches, including a memorable three-wicket haul against his old team RCB and career-best figures of 4/17 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at his home ground in Hyderabad. GT retained him for the 2026 season at the same price.
IPL Career Stats (as of 2026)
Stat | Number |
Matches | 125 |
Wickets | 128 |
Average | 30.56 |
Economy | 8.78 |
Best figures | 4/17 |
Catches | 38 |
International Career Timeline
Siraj’s rise to the international team followed his domestic breakout almost immediately.
- T20I debut: 4 November 2017, against New Zealand.
- ODI debut: 15 January 2019, against Australia in Adelaide, two years after his T20I debut.
- Test debut: 26 December 2020, against Australia at the MCG, in what is remembered as the Boxing Day Test. He was picked as a replacement for the injured Mohammed Shami. His first Test wicket was Marnus Labuschagne.
Losing his father mid-tour
Siraj’s father, Mirza Mohammed Ghaus, passed away in November 2020 due to a sudden heart attack while Siraj was in a bio-secure bubble in Australia with the Indian team. Because of strict quarantine rules at the time, flying home would have meant a mandatory 14-day isolation period on return, which would have effectively ended his tour. Siraj chose to stay with the squad rather than go back for the funeral. Captain Virat Kohli reportedly told him to stay strong for his father’s dream.
He made his Test debut a few days later in the Boxing Day Test. In the fourth Test of that same series, played at the Gabba in Brisbane in January 2021, Siraj took a five-wicket haul, his first in Test cricket, and dedicated the performance to his late father. India went on to win that series 2-1, one of the most celebrated overseas Test wins in Indian cricket history, and Siraj finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in the series with 13 wickets.
Career Stats by Format (2026)
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 46 | 140 | 29.74 | 3.53 | 6/15 |
| ODIs | 50 | 76 | 25.33 | 5.13 | 6/21 |
| T20Is | 17 | 17 | 28.29 | 7.76 | - |
The Sydney Racism Incident (2021)
During the same 2020-21 tour, and while still grieving his father’s death, Siraj was subjected to racist abuse from a section of the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the third Test in January 2021.
Siraj was called “Brown Dog” and “Big Monkey” from the stands, according to BCCI sources. The abuse happened over two consecutive days. On day three, Siraj and fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah first reported hearing racist slurs while fielding near the boundary, and the Indian team lodged an official complaint with match referee David Boon. On day four, play was halted for around 10 minutes after Siraj again complained to on-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson. Security removed six spectators from the ground.
Cricket Australia issued an unreserved apology. Its head of integrity and security, Sean Carroll, confirmed that members of the Indian cricket team were subjected to racial abuse and apologised on behalf of Cricket Australia as hosts of the series. The ICC also sought a formal report from Cricket Australia. Virat Kohli publicly condemned the incident, calling it “the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour”, and Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon said Siraj’s decision to speak up could encourage other players to report similar abuse in the future.
Years later, Siraj revealed in a press conference that the on-field umpires had actually given the Indian team the option to walk off the field and leave the match midway through, though the team chose to continue playing.
Major Achievements and Records
Siraj’s trophy cabinet and record sheet have both filled up significantly since his early struggles.
- 2023 Asia Cup: Siraj was named Player of the Match in the final against Sri Lanka after taking 6/21, becoming the joint-fastest bowler in ODI history to a six-wicket haul, equalling Chaminda Vaas’s record of doing it in just 16 balls. He also became the first Indian bowler to take four wickets in a single ODI over during that spell.
- T20 World Cup titles: Siraj was part of India’s squads that won the 2024 and 2026 Men’s T20 World Cups, making him a two-time world champion in the format.
- 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: In the series against England, Siraj recorded his fourth and fifth Test five-wicket hauls, taking 6 wickets in one innings and 5 in another, and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 wickets in 9 innings. He won Player of the Match for his second five-wicket haul.
Other notable records:
- First bowler in IPL history to bowl consecutive maiden overs in a single match (2020, against Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Ranked World No. 1 in ICC ODI bowler rankings (January 2023)
- Highest wicket-taker for India in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series
Bowling Style Breakdown
What makes Siraj hard to face is not raw pace alone, it is the combination of a deceptive run-up and genuine skill with the ball.
His run-up gives the impression a left-arm bowler is about to deliver, which throws batters off before he even lets the ball go. He is actually right-armed, and by his own admission, swinging the ball into right-handers has always come naturally to him rather than something he had to work hard to develop.
Over the years, especially as white-ball cricket demanded more variety, Siraj added cutters, a back-of-the-hand slower ball and the wobble-seam delivery to his repertoire, on top of his original strengths in inswing and outswing.This has made him harder to read in the death overs of limited-overs cricket, and it is a big reason why he became RCB’s, and later Gujarat Titans’, go-to bowler in tight run-chases.
Awards and Honours
Honorary Deputy Superintendent of Police, Hyderabad
In 2024, the Telangana government appointed Siraj to a Group-I government post as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, an honour recognising sportspeople from the state. He formally took up the role, reporting to the Director General of Police, in October 2024. As mentioned earlier, he was exempted from the standard degree requirement for this post given his sporting achievements.
BCCI Central Contract
Siraj holds a Grade A BCCI central contract, which as of recent estimates carries an annual retainer of around INR 5 crore.
Personal Life
Is Mohammed Siraj married?
No. As of 2026, Mohammed Siraj is unmarried and has stated in interviews that his focus remains on his cricket career. In January 2025, rumours circulated linking him to actress Mahira Sharma after they were spotted together. Mahira’s mother publicly denied the reports in an interview, calling them baseless and saying people tend to speculate whenever a celebrity is involved.
Is Mohammed Siraj Indian or Pakistani?
Siraj is Indian. He was born in Secunderabad, Telangana, and represents the Indian national cricket team. The confusion sometimes comes up because “Siraj” is a name common across South Asia and used by families of different nationalities, but Mohammed Siraj himself, his family, and his entire cricket career belong to India.
Caste and religious background
Siraj comes from a Hyderabadi Muslim family. India’s caste system, rooted in Hindu social structure, does not traditionally apply to Muslim families in the same way, and there is no verified public information categorising Siraj under any caste. He is often seen offering prayers on the field after big performances, reflecting his personal faith.
Personality and off-field life
Off the field, Siraj is known among teammates and fans for being warm, easygoing and emotionally open. He wears his feelings visibly, whether celebrating a wicket or dealing with a setback like being dropped from the ODI squad ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. He is also a passionate football fan and often brings that same energy to the dressing room.
Philanthropy
Siraj has been involved in charitable giving over the years, supporting causes tied to underprivileged children, though detailed public information on a formal foundation remains limited. He has also shown a personal side to gratitude, publicly dedicating a Player of the Match award in 2023 to Abdul Azeem, a former Hyderabad first-class cricketer who had supported him early in his career and passed away that year.
Net Worth (2026)
Estimates of Siraj’s net worth vary across sources, so it is worth treating any single figure as approximate rather than exact.
Source estimate | Amount (approx.) |
Lower estimate | INR 50 crore |
Mid-range estimate | INR 57 crore |
Higher 2026 estimate | INR 60-65 crore |
His income comes mainly from his BCCI central contract, IPL salary with Gujarat Titans, match fees, and brand endorsements, including deals like MyCircle11.
Career Milestones: Year by Year
- 2015: First-class debut for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy
- 2016-17: Breakout Ranji season with 41 wickets, highest wicket-taker for Hyderabad
- 2017: IPL debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad; T20I debut for India against New Zealand
- 2018: Moves to Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- 2019: ODI debut against Australia
- 2020: Test debut against Australia at the MCG; father passes away mid-tour; first bowler to bowl consecutive maiden overs in an IPL match
- 2021: Five-wicket Test haul at the Gabba dedicated to his father; India wins the Border-Gavaskar series; faces racist abuse at the Sydney Cricket Ground
- 2023: Becomes World No. 1 ODI bowler; 6/21 and Player of the Match in the Asia Cup final; strong showing in the ODI World Cup at home
- 2024: Part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad; appointed honorary DSP in Telangana
- 2025: Dropped from the ODI squad ahead of the Champions Trophy; moves to Gujarat Titans in the mega auction; leading wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England
- 2026: Part of India’s second consecutive T20 World Cup winning squad; continues with Gujarat Titans in the IPL
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FAQS❓
He was born in Secunderabad, Telangana, then part of Andhra Pradesh.
He is Indian, born and raised in Hyderabad, and plays for the Indian national cricket team.
His family speaks Hyderabadi Urdu, also known as Deccani Urdu.
His father, Mirza Mohammed Ghaus, worked as an autorickshaw driver in Hyderabad.
His father passed away in November 2020 due to a heart attack, while Siraj was on tour in Australia.
Mohammed Ismail, an engineer, who encouraged Siraj to pursue cricket professionally.
No, he is unmarried as of 2026.
He completed intermediate, equivalent to 12th class, and did not pursue a college degree.
He belongs to a Hyderabadi Muslim family. Caste categorisation does not traditionally apply in the same way it does within Hindu social structures, and no verified caste information exists publicly for him.
India (Tests, ODIs, T20Is), Gujarat Titans (IPL), and Hyderabad (domestic cricket).
