Mohammed Siraj Nickname: Why is RCB Pacer Called Miyan?

Having put up quite an ordinary show with the ball during the previous IPL season with mere 9 wickets to show across 15 innings, and conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.07 runs per Over, Mohammed Siraj has been in top-notch form during the early stages of the ongoing season.

Across mere 6 innings for the Royal Challengers Bangalore so far, Siraj has already scalped 12 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.70 runs per Overs, and it presently donning the Purple Cap – for taking the highest number of wickets.

Most recently, he bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his excellent bowling performance with the new ball and at the death against the Punjab Kings, returning with figures of 4-0-21-4.

Mohammed Siraj Nickname

Born on March 13, 1994 in the city of Hyderabad, Mohammed Siraj is fondly called/nicknamed ‘Miyan’ or ‘Miyan Bhai’ by his teammates.

A Persian origin word – ‘Miyan’ is used for referring to a Muslim gentleman, while ‘bhai’ is the Hindi word for brother. The nickname signifies both respect and love that his teammates and well-wishers have for him.

However, the respect and recognition was not something which he had attained inherently or was served in a platter to him. It was a result of sheer dedication and hard work, while being raised in a family which was far from being financially well-off.

The rags-to-riches story

Siraj’s late father – an auto rickshaw driver, and mother – a domestic help, had to struggle to provide for the family with the basic amenities.

While his mother was always against his dream of playing Cricket at the highest level, it was his father who kept on persisting with him, and despite the financial shortcomings wanted his son to earn the team India Test cap.

India’s go-to bowler across formats now, Siraj did eventually made his father proud when he made his Test debut for India in December 2020. However, agonizingly for Siraj, his father wasn’t alive to witness him play for the country, as he had passed away the previous month (November 2020) after suffering from a lung ailment.