IPL 2026: Kagiso Rabada enters elite IPL club with historic powerplay bowling feat

Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada (PTI Photo)

Kagiso Rabada continued his sensational IPL 2026 campaign with another devastating new-ball spell, tearing through Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top order and moving level with some of the greatest powerplay bowling seasons in tournament history. Rabada produced a fiery spell of 4-0-28-3 against SRH in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, once again proving why he has been the most destructive fast bowler of the season with the new ball. The South African speedster dismissed Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Smaran Ravichandran during a brutal powerplay burst that left Hyderabad in complete disarray.

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With those wickets, Rabada now has 16 wickets inside the powerplay this season, equalling the second-highest tally ever recorded in a single IPL edition. Only Mohammed Shami, who claimed 17 powerplay wickets in IPL 2023, remains ahead of him. Most wickets in the powerplay in an IPL season:

17 – Mohammed Shami (2023)

16 – Mitchell Johnson (2013)

16 – Trent Boult (2020)

16* – Kagiso Rabada (2026)

Rabada also comfortably leads the IPL 2026 powerplay wicket charts, well ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer and Mohammed Siraj.Most wickets in the powerplay (1-6 overs) in IPL 202616 – KG Rabada (ER: 9.03)*12 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (ER: 6.91)9 – Jofra Archer (ER: 9.36)9 – Mohammed Siraj (ER: 7.36) The impact of Rabada’s spell was immediate. SRH crawled to just 34/4 in the first six overs, their second-lowest powerplay total of IPL 2026 and the first time this season they had lost four wickets inside the powerplay. After Gujarat Titans posted 168/5 thanks to gritty half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar, Rabada ensured SRH never settled into the chase. He first removed Abhishek Sharma with extra pace and bounce before trapping Ishan Kishan during SRH’s desperate attempt to rebuild. Rabada then struck again to dismiss Smaran Ravichandran, completing another breathtaking opening spell that ripped apart Hyderabad’s aggressive batting line-up. Throughout IPL 2026, Rabada has consistently attacked with raw pace, hostile lengths and relentless accuracy, often making conditions irrelevant. Against SRH, he once again showed why Gujarat Titans possess one of the most feared pace attacks in the tournament.