For the first time in IPL history, a bowling pair bowled the entire powerplay in five consecutive games during the GT vs SRH fixture in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. This highlights the deadly and lethal form of Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada in IPL 2026, a season dominated by top-order batters. The pair has evolved into the league's most prolific new-ball bowling duo, with GT claiming 25 wickets during the powerplay. They have struck every 17.2 balls in the first six overs, with Rabada's 16 wickets in this phase being the joint second-most by a bowler in an IPL season.
Destructive Bowling Display
On a wicket tailor-made for tall fast bowlers in Ahmedabad, Rabada and Siraj consistently hit hard lengths and ripped through the SRH batting lineup. At the end of the powerplay, SRH's score was 34 for 4, with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan back in the dugout early. GT bowlers have bowled on good and back-of-length areas 84.3% of the time in the powerplay, the league's highest among all teams. Against the destructive SRH top-order, this skillset reaped rewards.
Key Moments
Siraj opened the first over with one swinging away, then another from good length, and on the fourth ball, he swung one into Head's pads, resulting in a top-edge caught by Nishant Sindhu at deep backward point. A wicket maiden from Siraj set the tone and the template for Rabada. In the second over, Rabada pitched the first delivery up, and Sharma lofted him for a six over long-off. But Rabada returned to his usual length, and off the fourth delivery, Abhishek was cramped for room and dragged the ball onto the wicket. Rabada then dismissed Ishan Kishan with a hard-length delivery that moved away, leading to an edge to Jos Buttler behind the stumps. At the end of the powerplay, SRH were reeling with four wickets down in the chase of 169.
GT's Bowling-Driven Success
GT's success this season has been driven by their bowling attack. In eight wins, their bowlers have claimed the Player-of-the-Match award seven times. The common thread is simple: bowlers capable of relentlessly hitting the much-talked-about 'test-match length'—good and back-of-length areas—which is extremely tough in a T20 environment. Rabada and Siraj, with their skills and high pace, persisted with their plans and proved that Test-match bowling in T20s can get wickets. In the seven matches GT has won, the pair has taken 21 wickets at an average of 14.85.
GT has been one of the few sides to build their identity around bowlers even after the impact player rule. With bowlers driving Gujarat Titans' surge in the second half of the season, it has not only taken them to the top spot in the IPL 2026 Points Table but has put them firmly on course for a top-two finish as well.
