Mohammed Siraj of Gujarat Titans celebrates with teammates (PTI Photo) Gujarat Titans are setting the benchmark for pace this season and lead the charts for most wickets by pacers using short balls in IPL 2026. With 29 wickets, GT are comfortably ahead of the rest, underlining how effectively their quicks have used bounce and hard lengths to trouble the batsmen.
Most wickets by pacers (short balls) – IPL 2026
- 29 – Gujarat Titans
- 19 – Kolkata Knight Riders
- 16 – Rajasthan Royals
- 15 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- 13 – Sunrisers Hyderabad
- 11 – Chennai Super Kings
Their dominance was on display again against Punjab Kings where the pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Jason Holder and Kagiso Rabada dismantled the top order with relentless short bowling.
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Vikram Solanki on GT strategy, pitch and team decisionsSiraj immediately set the tone, hitting the hole twice to leave PBKS reeling. Rabada’s raw pace added to the pressure while Holder delivered the knockout blow with an excellent spell of 4/24, the best bowling figures for GT against Punjab Kings.At 47 for five in nine overs, PBKS were in complete trouble. Although Suryansh Shedge played a fighting knock of 57 and stitched a crucial 79 runs with Marcus Stoinis (40), the damage was already done.Shedge showed composure under pressure, mixing caution with calculated aggression, highlighted by a brutal over against Manav Suthar where he collected 26 runs. But just as PBKS looked to recover, Rabada struck again to remove him, ending hopes of a full recovery.The GT stimulators kept bouncing back, ensuring that PBKS never gained full control. A couple of late hits from Marc Jansen took the total to 163 for nine, but it was still under par given the early collapse.With their fast bowlers executing the plans to perfection, especially with the short ball, Gujarat Titans are not only winning matches but also redefining how pace can dictate games in IPL 2026.
