The Gujarat Titans have rewritten the IPL 2026 playbook by rejecting the six-hitting culture that dominates T20 cricket. Instead of building innings with explosive starts, they have relied on methodical accumulation, anchored by openers Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan. This approach has yielded 616 and 638 runs respectively—both among the tournament’s top scorers—while maintaining a steady strike rate of 151.09 in the powerplay, the seventh-highest in the league. Crucially, their partnership averages 58 runs, the best among all teams, and they’ve hit only 31 sixes in the first six overs, second-lowest in the competition.
Behind this strategy is Gujarat’s head coach, Ashish Nehra, who emphasized building the innings around the strengths of his top order rather than forcing them into roles they weren’t suited for. “We knew what we had in the middle order,” Nehra said. “It wasn’t going to give us fireworks. So the top three had to do the work. But we weren’t going to ask them to be something they’re not.” This philosophy has made Gujarat the only team to average over 50 runs in the powerplay, at a time when the league’s average scoring rate in the phase has surged to 10.47 runs per over.
The bowling unit, led by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, has complemented this strategy by delivering Test-match length and movement with the new ball. Rabada has been particularly effective, taking 17 of his 24 wickets in the powerplay this season. His fuller lengths, tighter lines, and ability to extract bounce and seam movement have left batsmen struggling to find rhythm. Teams expecting pace and yorkers have instead faced disciplined seam bowling that restricts boundaries and rotation of strike. Rabada’s short-ball tactics have claimed key scalps including Virat Kohli and Urvil Patel, and Gujarat have not hesitated to use three of his six-over quota in the powerplay itself.
Mohammed Siraj has played a crucial supporting role, contributing 13 wickets in the powerplay from the other end. Their combined pressure has kept opposition teams below par, limiting their ability to launch aggressive chases. Even on off days, Gujarat have managed to keep totals within reach, conceding only twice in fourteen matches where they’ve been out of the game with the ball.
The middle-order has played a minimal but effective role, with a death-over strike rate of just 158.41—the lowest in the league—reflecting a deliberate choice to avoid risky shots when the game is already under control. Rashid Khan has provided control in the middle overs, ensuring that opposition teams cannot accelerate freely.
Gujarat’s unorthodox approach has delivered results: nine wins in fourteen matches and a top-two finish secured. Their head-to-head record against Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala stands at 1-1 this season. When Rabada runs in with the new ball on Tuesday, he will bring the same Test-match angle and seam movement that has troubled 16 other teams this season. Whether RCB can adapt better than their predecessors may determine who advances to the final.
