Gujarat Titans' bowling attack and pitch conditions combined perfectly as Siraj and Rabada dominated powerplay after powerplay in Ahmedabad.
For five consecutive games to start the season, Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada have opened the bowling for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the powerplay phase. This streak marks a historic first in the IPL, showcasing the relentless consistency of the duo's lengths and their ability to maximize assistance from the pitches they have faced. Both bowlers have maintained exceptional rhythm throughout, with Siraj frequently reaching speeds in the mid-140s (kph) and Rabada regularly operating in the 150s range.
The success of GT's new-ball pair has been further amplified by the pitches they have played on. The streak began in Chennai, where the surface was described by Jason Holder—who conceded just 22 runs in his four overs—as having "a lot of moisture, and steep bounce up front". Three of the next four matches were hosted at GT's home ground in Ahmedabad, which currently boasts the best fast-bowling average (21.35) across all venues in the league that have hosted at least three games in IPL 2026. Ahmedabad is one of only two grounds—Lucknow being the other—where fast bowlers have conceded fewer than nine runs per over.
On Tuesday night, Ahmedabad delivered one of the most seam-friendly pitches of the season. Gujarat Titans did not push their scoring beyond third gear as they reached 168, yet the surface clearly benefited Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) pace attack, which extracted unusual seam movement and grip when bowling cutters. While Sai Sudharsan's 61 off 44 balls and Washington Sundar's 50 off 33 balls might have appeared old-fashioned, both innings were perfectly suited to the conditions.
If tasked with designing the ideal attack for Tuesday's conditions, one might have assembled a team resembling Gujarat Titans'. The combination of Mohammad Siraj's swing, seam, and accuracy, Kagiso Rabada's pace, bounce, and seam movement, Jason Holder's height and bounce, Prasidh Krishna's height and hard lengths, and Rashid Khan's world-class wristspin would have been ideal. GT used just five balls from spin bowling, as Rashid Khan helped bowl SRH out for 86 in 14.5 overs.
In the IPL, where every franchise begins each season with an identical salary cap and only a small number of players retained from the previous year, constructing a balanced squad is challenging. Most teams excel in some areas, manage adequately in others, and must accept minor weaknesses. Gujarat Titans have taken a clear approach, assembling the strongest bowling attack in the league and a rock-solid top order. On their best days, their bowlers and top-order batsmen handle the majority of the workload, leaving the middle order with minimal responsibility.
Pitch conditions significantly influence Gujarat Titans' effectiveness. On flat surfaces, where all lengths are punished equally and depth in batting and six-hitting potential are crucial, the gap between GT's bowling attack and others narrows, while the team's batting weaknesses become more apparent. However, on pitches like Tuesday's, Gujarat Titans become nearly unbeatable. Despite SRH bringing one of the greatest top threes in IPL history—Travs Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan—their batters struggled to connect with the ball as Siraj and Rabada extracted excessive movement and bounce from good lengths, repeatedly hitting those lengths.
In T20 cricket, no pitch is inherently good or bad unless it poses a danger by lifting erratically from a length. With the BCCI exerting greater control over pitch preparation in the IPL than before, the seam-friendly nature of Ahmedabad's pitches may well be coincidental. Some franchises have voiced concerns over the lack of uniformity, with Delhi Capitals' head coach Hemang Badani calling for consistency from the board's curators after experiencing drastically different pitches in two home games within three days.
For Gujarat Titans, their squad construction has aligned flawlessly with the home pitches they have encountered this season, reminiscent of the Chennai Super Kings' spin-dominant strategy at Chepauk in previous years. While GT's management has no influence over pitch preparation, they have every reason to be pleased with how the conditions have complemented their team's strengths.