As the IPL moved deeper into an era dominated by carnivals of sixes and batting, Gujarat Titans seemed almost out of step with the modern template. Once the Impact Player rule went into effect, almost every team adopted a philosophy of batting, batting and hitting everything out of the park. But the GT remained stubbornly committed to a more classic approach.
GT vs SRH, IPL 2026: Scorecard | Highlighting
They still rely heavily on their top three, something that has been central to their identity since their inception in 2022. The scrutiny around the middle order has only intensified this year, and even Matthew Hayden has admitted that GT isn’t the biggest hitter in the league.
In fact, Hayden’s batting coach openly acknowledged lack of batting explosiveness in the lineupsaid he would like to accept batsmen striking at 150 rather than chasing Vaibhav Suryavanshi-like numbers every game.
But for a team built in this way to reach the top of the table, something else must carry the burden. In the case of GT it was 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 just the right time, Jason Holder looks like an absolute bargain at Rs 7 crore and after a bit of a shaky start, Prasidh Krishna also seems to have rediscovered his mojo.
Result? GT now has one foot – maybe even one and three-quarters – firmly inside the playoffs.
Since the start of the Impact Player era in 2023, GT are the most successful side in the IPL in terms of wins with 33 wins and a win percentage of 58.92.
And almost everything was built on their dominance with the ball.
THE HERITAGE OF GT
If you’ve ever seen GT coach Ashish Nehra recreate Mohabbatein’s famous ‘Parampara, Pratishtha, Anushasan’ dialogue, it would probably be aimed at his bowlers. Because they remained the foundation on which GT’s success story was built.
For years, GT have relied 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 reached the finals, those numbers were even more ridiculous. In fact, Shami (28), Mohit Sharma (27) and Rashid (27) finished as the season’s top three wicket takers.
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 play-offs, Prasidh became the Purple Cap winner with 25 wickets.
This season, Rabada has returned to his best in the IPL, currently sitting as the highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.
And the support was just as strong. Rashid has 16 wickets, Prasidh 14, while Holder and Siraj are tied on 13 wickets.
Adding even more depth to the attack are Manav Suthar and Sai Kishore, both currently warming the bench and waiting for their opportunity. It’s almost as if GT has told Washington Sundar to concentrate fully on batting at No.4 and leave the responsibility of bowling to everyone else.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND SUCCESS IN 2026
GT have won eight matches this season with the demolition of SRH being the latest win. And in those eight wins, the GT bowler won the Man of the Match award on seven occasions.
Rabada and Siraj formed a fearsome new partnership that left opposition teams desperate for answers. Together they took 25 wickets in the Powerplay alone.
Shubman Gill deserves immense credit for the way he unleashed the pair and allowed them to attack relentlessly in the Powerplay without holding anything back. And when they did, the results were devastating.
In seven matches, the new ball GT pair have taken 21 wickets at an average of 14.85. They are batting every 12 balls and have taken GT to six wins.
METHOD BEHIND THE MADNESS
GT’s bowling success was not built on luck alone. There is a very clear method behind the destruction caused by their attack.
With Rabada and Siraj bowling relentless Test-match lengths beforehand, they are perfectly supported by Prasidh and Holder through the middle overs. The West Indian, in particular, has been a revelation to fill the void left by Hardik Pandya’s departure.
A carefully crafted plan from Ashish Nehra and Shubman Gill saw the GT bowlers consistently attack the hard lengths and deliver in the good and back length areas for 84.3 per cent deliveries in the Powerplay and 68.1 per cent during the middle overs. The idea is simple – mix it up like a Test attack in a T20 game.
“Overall this season I think Siraj and Rabada have hit their lengths very well. I think that’s the advantage of having the right Test match bowlers in your line-up,” Sai Kishore said during the press conference after the win over SRH.
“And we’ve been ably led by Shubman Gill and Ashish Nehra in terms of bowling philosophy, in terms of bowling length in the power play. And on a wicket like that, it doesn’t depend too much on slower balls or yorkers, trusting that hard length, trusting that good length on that wicket,” the big difference in adding the right bowling Test-match bowling made the bowling season for us.
And GT’s offense is far from one-dimensional. Gujarat have scored more than 200 totals only three times this season – and only once in Ahmedabad. This control allowed their more traditional batting line-up to play calculated cricket without constantly chasing down impossible targets.
Kishore believes that the attack also has enough flexibility to adapt to different conditions at any time.
“KG Rabada, Prasidh, Siraj, Holder – all these guys are very good with their yorkers and slower ones too. But on a wicket like this where there is a lot of shopping, you have to be brave and bowl those tough lengths. That was the philosophy.”
“But if the wicket doesn’t have a lot of purchase, if it’s a very quiet wicket, I think we’ll be smart enough to bowl those yorkers, bowl those slow, slow bumpers and get out of the over. I think we’re equipped to do that. It’s just that we’ve played a lot of wickets like this this season,” hematching added.
As the play-off race heats up – much like the six-hit frenzy that defines modern IPL cricket – Gujarat continues to remain distinct. While others attempt to overpower teams with brute force, GT quietly grinds sides into submission.
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Published on:
May 13, 2026 12:52 PM IST
