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As the IPL moved deeper into an era dominated by six-hitting and batting carnivals, the Gujarat Titans seemed almost like outliers to the modern template. Once the Impact Player rule came into effect, nearly every team embraced the batting-heavy, hit-everything-out-of-the-park philosophy. But GT remained stubbornly committed to a more classic approach.
GT vs SRH, IPL 2026: Scorecard | Highlights
They still rely heavily on their top three, something that has been central to their identity since their inception in 2022. This year, the scrutiny around the middle order has only intensified, and even Matthew Hayden admitted that GT is not the biggest-hitting side in the league.
In fact, batting coach Hayden openly acknowledged the lack of batting explosiveness in the line-up, saying he would gladly take batters striking at 150 rather than chasing Vaibhav Suryavanshi-like numbers every game.
But for a team built this way to rise to the top of the table, something else has to carry the load. In GT’s case, it has been their bowling attack — ruthless, relentless and remarkably well-drilled.
Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have completely owned the Powerplay, Rashid Khan has rediscovered his rhythm at exactly the right time, Jason Holder looks like an absolute bargain at Rs 7 crore and, after a slightly shaky start, Prasidh Krishna seems to have rediscovered his mojo as well.
The result? GT now have one foot — perhaps even one-and-three-fourths — firmly inside the playoff spots.
Since the Impact Player era began in 2023, GT have been the most successful side in the IPL in terms of wins, with 33 victories and a win percentage of 58.92.
And almost all of it has been built on their dominance with the ball.
THE GT LEGACY
If you ever saw GT coach Ashish Nehra recreate the famous Mohabbatein dialogue of “Parampara, Pratishtha, Anushasan”, it would probably be aimed at his bowlers. Because they have remained the foundation on which GT’s success story has been built.
For years, GT have leaned heavily on their bowling attack to carry them deep into tournaments. In the 2022 season, when they won the IPL title, they had Mohammed Shami (20 wickets) and Rashid Khan (19 wickets) among the top 10 wicket-takers in the Purple Cap race.
In 2023, when they made the final, those numbers became even more ridiculous. In fact, Shami (28), Mohit Sharma (27) and Rashid (27) finished as the top three wicket-takers of the season.
Then came 2024 — their worst-ever IPL campaign — when none of their bowlers came close to the Purple Cap conversation. But in 2025, when GT returned to the playoffs, Prasidh emerged as the Purple Cap winner with 25 wickets.
This season, Rabada has stormed back to his best in the IPL, currently sitting as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
And the support cast has been just as strong. Rashid has 16 wickets, Prasidh 14, while Holder and Siraj are tied on 13 wickets each.
Adding even more depth to the attack are Manav Suthar and Sai Kishore, both currently warming the bench and waiting for their opportunity. It almost feels like GT have told Washington Sundar to focus entirely on batting at No. 4 and leave the bowling responsibilities to everyone else.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE 2026 SUCCESS
GT have now won eight matches this season, with the demolition of SRH being the latest statement victory. And in those eight wins, the Player of the Match award has gone to a GT bowler on seven occasions.
Rabada and Siraj have formed a terrifying new-ball partnership that has left opposition teams desperately searching for answers. Together, they have picked up 25 wickets in the Powerplay alone.
Shubman Gill deserves immense credit for the way he has unleashed the pair, allowing them to attack relentlessly in the Powerplay without holding anything back. And when they have done that, the results have been devastating.
In seven matches, GT’s new-ball pair have taken 21 wickets at an average of 14.85. They strike every 12 balls and have powered GT to six victories.
THE METHOD BEHIND THE MADNESS
GT’s bowling success has not been built on luck alone. There has been a very clear method behind the destruction caused by their attack.
With Rabada and Siraj bowling relentless Test-match lengths upfront, they are perfectly backed up by Prasidh and Holder through the middle overs. The West Indian, in particular, has been a revelation, filling the void left behind after Hardik Pandya’s departure.
A carefully crafted plan from Ashish Nehra and Shubman Gill has seen GT’s bowlers consistently attack hard lengths, delivering in the good and back-of-a-length areas on 84.3 percent of deliveries in the Powerplay and 68.1 percent during the middle overs. The idea is simple — bowl like a Test attack in a T20 game.
“Overall, this season, I think Siraj and Rabada have been hitting their lengths very well. That is the advantage of having proper Test-match bowlers in your line-up, I guess,” said Sai Kishore during the press conference after the win over SRH.
“And we have been ably led by Shubman Gill and Ashish Nehra in terms of the bowling philosophies, in terms of what lengths to bowl in the powerplay. And on such a wicket, not depending on the slower balls or yorkers a lot, trusting that hard length, trusting that good length on this wicket, bowling proper Test-match bowling, I think that has made a huge difference in the season for us,” he added.
And GT’s attack is far from one-dimensional. Gujarat have conceded 200-plus totals only three times this season — and just once in Ahmedabad. That control has allowed their more traditional batting line-up to play calculated cricket without constantly chasing impossible targets.
Kishore believes the attack also has enough flexibility to adapt to different conditions whenever required.
“KG Rabada, Prasidh, Siraj, Holder — all these guys are very good with their yorkers and slower ones as well. But in such a wicket where there is a lot of purchase, you have to be brave and bowl those hard lengths. That has been the philosophy.”
“But if the wicket doesn’t have a lot of purchase, if it’s a very placid wicket, I think we will be smart enough to bowl those yorkers, bowl those slow ones, slow bumpers and get out of the over well. I think we are equipped with it. It’s just that we have played a lot of games on wickets like this this season, so we have stuck to Test-match bowling,” he added.
As the playoff race heats up — much like the six-hitting frenzy that defines modern IPL cricket — Gujarat continue to remain different. While others are trying to overpower teams with brute force, GT are quietly bowling sides into submission.
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