Data Shorts: Rabada rediscovers his new-ball magic

As much as their over-reliance on their top-order has been well documented, Gujarat Titans have had a rather mixed run with the ball in the IPL since 2025 - individually, and as a unit. Prasidh Krishna led the way last year as Mohammed Siraj's new ball numbers tapered off in the second half, and Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada endured their worst season in terms of average and economy-rates. That contributed to GT having the worst numbers for overseas bowlers among the 10 teams in IPL 2025: 13 wickets at 64.38 (SR: 37.8, ER: 10.2).

While Rashid still remains distant from his best, GT have got the desired results from Rabada thrice in four games now. He had combined returns of 2/90 from eight overs in the Powerplay from his first four outings this year, but has redeemed himself with 7/88 from 11 across the next four. In three of them, he bowled unchanged through the powerplay, ratting the opponents' top-order. , he first got rid of Sanju Samson - the mainstay in each of CSK's three wins, and bounced out Urvil Patel, his 2/16 in the phase restricting the hosts to 28/3, the second-lowest powerplay score in the tournament.

Rabada could manage just two wickets from four outings in IPL 2025 (ER: 11.57), which extended his underwhelming run in the Impact Player era, after he had bagged 23 wickets from 13 games in the 2022 edition at an impressive 17.65 (ER: 8.46). As it stands, he now has as many wickets with the new ball in 2026, as he had across the last three editions.

His nine wickets in Overs 1-6 is the most by anyone in the tournament, followed by Jofra Archer's eight. Of the 38 bowlers to have delivered at least five overs in this phase, the percentage of false-shots he has induced (34.6%) is bettered only by Nandre Burger (37.1%).

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The striking feature of his new-ball exploits have been the high speeds he's operated at, getting the away swinger going which has accounted for four of his nine scalps (3/17 off 18 such deliveries against the right-handers). Batters have been beaten comprehensively by pace, point in case Suryakumar Yadav's dismissal in Ahmedabad - a delivery bowled at 152.1 kmph, seaming in to shatter the stumps. On Sunday, Urvil Patel, was undone by a 149.2 kmph bumper, having struck a boundary off the previous ball. The one that accounted for Samson earlier, was bowled at 148.2 kmph, rising sharply from a short length.

His opening spell on Sunday was clocked at an average speed of 145kmph. The average speeds with the new ball at the T20 World Cup 2026 was 150kmph, and 146 kmph at SA20 2025/26 earlier in the season. Batters have managed to score heavily off his full length deliveries, while the ones pitched shorter have done the damage.

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Moreover, he has had far superior numbers against the right-handers, compared to the lefties in this phase. That has been a contributing factor in his improving returns this season: he had an even split of balls bowled to righties (49%) and lefties (51%) with the new ball in the first four games, compared to 80.9% and 19.1% in the recent four.

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With Rabada among the wickets and Siraj having gone at just 6.71, GT have been one of the better bowling sides in the powerplay, their economy of 8.5 only bettered by LSG (7.27). However, twice in three games (against MI and CSK), their inefficiency at the back end neutralised the damage done at the top. They have conceded a boundary once in every four balls in the last eight overs (13-20) while going at 10.69, the worst on both counts among the 10 teams. Should their new-ball pair continue to sizzle, they'll still need more from Rashid and the rest in the latter phase of the game, to ensure their bowling doesn't follow the same design as their batting - penetrative at the top, feeble thereafter.