IPL 2026: The Siraj-Rabada powerplay blueprint - Test-match lengths, T20 destruction

For the first time in the history of IPL, a bowling pair bowled in the entire powerplay - five games in a row during the GT vs SRH fixture at Ahmedabad on Tuesday. This shows how deadly, and lethal Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada have been in IPL 2026 dominated by the top-order batters.

The pair have evolved into the league's most prolific new-ball bowling pair, with GT claiming 25 wickets during the powerplay. They have struck every 17.2 balls in the first 6 overs; Rabada's 16 wickets in this phase are the joint second-most by a bowler in an IPL season.

In a wicket tailor-made for the tall fast bowlers in Ahmedabad, Rabada and Siraj consistently hit the hard lengths and ripped through the SRH batting lineup. At the end of the powerplay, their score was 34 for 4 with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan back in the dugout early.

GT bowlers have bowled on good and back-of-length areas 84.3% of the time in the powerplay, which is the league's highest among all the teams. And against the destructive SRH top-order, the same skillset reaped the rewards.

Siraj opened the first over with one swinging away, then another from the good-length, and on the 4th ball, he swung one into the pads of Head, who could only manage a top-edge into the hands of Nishant Sindhu at deep backward point. A wicket maiden from Siraj set the tone, and also the template for Kagiso Rabada to test Abhishek Sharma from the same length in the second over. Rabada pitched the first delivery up front, and Sharma lofted him for a six over long-off.

But in the second, the South African returned to his usual length, and off the 4th delivery, Abhishek was cramped for room off a back of length delivery despite moving from the stumps and dragged the ball into the wicket.

Rabada then went on to pluck out Ishan Kishan in his next over from yet another hard-length delivery that, after pitching, moved away from the SRH’s wicketkeeper-batter, who could only manage to chase it and edge to Jos Buttler behind the stumps. At the end of the powerplay overs, SRH were reeling with 4 wickets down in the chase of 169 courtesy Siraj and Rabada’s stellar spell up front.

GT’s success this season has been completely driven by their bowling attack. In eight wins, their bowlers have claimed the Player-of-the-match award seven times. The common thread is simple: bowlers capable of relentlessly hitting the much talked about ‘test-match length’, essentially hitting the good and back of length areas - which is extremely tough to do in a T20 environment.

Rabada and Siraj, with their skills and high pace, persisted with their plans and proved good ol’ Test match bowling in T20s can get you wickets. In the seven matches that GT has won, the pair has taken 21 wickets at an average of 14.85.