Gujarat Titans speedster Kagiso Rabada added another IPL milestone to his growing CV during the Qualifier 1 showdown against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday. The South African strike bowler struck early again, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer in a key moment, and in doing so became the leading wicket-taker in the Powerplay for a single IPL season. That breakthrough moved him beyond Mohammed Shami’s previous benchmark of 17 Powerplay wickets from the 2023 campaign.
Rabada’s landmark and Gujarat’s dominant season
Rabada’s Powerplay wicket not only reshaped the record books, but also highlighted how Gujarat Titans’ bowling unit had been operating at an unusually high level across the IPL 2026 season. GT’s bowling group delivered a performance that was both relentless and well-balanced, with multiple bowlers consistently making breakthroughs.
- Rabada finished the season with 26 wickets.
- Rashid Khan took 19 wickets.
- Mohammed Siraj claimed 17 wickets.
- Jason Holder gathered 15 wickets.
- Prasidh Krishna also ended with 15 wickets.
- Overall, GT’s seamers combined for 84 wickets during the season.
In a wider historical context, Gujarat became only the second franchise in IPL history—after Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024—to feature five different bowlers who each finished with 15 or more wickets in the same edition. The early-overs pressure was especially damaging, with Rabada and Siraj forming a new-ball combination that repeatedly disrupted opposition batting plans.
How the pace attack stacks up in IPL history
The impact of Gujarat’s pace team went beyond internal dominance, as their total wicket haul ranks among the best ever seen from a fast-bowling group in a single IPL season. The seam-heavy unit’s 84 wickets represent the second-highest wicket tally by a pace group in one IPL campaign, trailing only Rajasthan Royals’ seamers, who grabbed 89 wickets during their 16-match run in 2013.
Qualifier 1: Bengaluru’s record 254/5
Turning to the match itself, Royal Challengers Bengaluru built a towering total thanks to a sharp, match-defining innings from Rajat Patidar. His effort was complemented by key contributions from Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Krunal Pandya as RCB posted 254/5 against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on Tuesday.
Bengaluru also made the record books again in the playoffs, setting a new benchmark for the highest score in an IPL playoff or knockout fixture. Their 254/5 surpassed Gujarat’s own previous mark of 233/3 against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad in 2023.
