IPL 2026: Titans happily ruling with their bowling!

GT pacers Kagiso Rabada (left) and Mohammed Siraj celebrate SRH’s Ishan Kishan’s dismissal in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Pics/IPL

Gujarat Titans have been bowling their way to glory at the ongoing IPL, and Tuesday night was no different as they did not just defend their modest total of 168, but also decimated the dangerous Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up, dismissing them for a mere 86 runs, to climb to the top spot in the points table.

GT's top seamers were so good that they didn't even have to call upon left-arm pacer Arshad Khan. All three new-ball bowlers - Kagiso Rabada (3-28), Jason Holder (3-20), and Mohammed Siraj (1-11) - have the reputation of being good red-ball pacers and they struck in conventional fashion, off accurate length deliveries.

Sai Kishore

"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," GT's Sai Kishore said at the post-match press conference.

"We have been ably led by Shubman Gill [captain] and Ashish Nehra [coach] in terms of the bowling philosophies and the lengths to bowl in the Powerplay. On such a wicket, not depending too much on slower balls or yorkers, but trusting that hard length and good length on this wicket, and bowling proper Test-match bowling has made a huge difference this season," added the left-arm orthodox spinner with a smile.

Siraj set the seaming ball rolling with a maiden wicket over, dismissing opener Travis Head. Then, Rabada was hit for two sixes, but managed to outwit Abhishek Sharma, playing one on to his stumps.

Talking about the GT bowlers' early success (34-4 in Powerplay), Sai Kishore said: "Rabada, Prasidh [Krishna], Siraj, Holder - all these guys are very good with their yorkers and slower ones as well. But on 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."

When mid-day asked Sai Kishore about the prospects of the GT seamers doing well on smaller grounds with flat tracks, he highlighted their ability to adapt. "You've made a valid point that when the conditions change, bowlers might not be as effective, but that's where adaptability comes into play. If it's a placid wicket, I think we'll be smart enough to bowl those 1yorkers, slower balls, slow bumpers and get through the over well. We are equipped for 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 concluded.

Fifth
No. of consecutive victories for GT; their joint-longest winning streak

82
GT's victory margin on Tuesday - their biggest in terms of runs

Five
No. of dismissals by GT's Jos Buttler on Tuesday - the joint-most by a wicketkeeper in IPL alongside Kumar Sangakkara (Deccan Charges) vs RCB at Hyderabad in 2011