New Delhi: Kagiso Rabada made history during the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The South African fast bowler claimed the record for the most wickets in the Powerplay (first six overs) in a single IPL season.
Rabada achieved the milestone by dismissing Venkatesh Iyer, who top-edged a back-of-a-length delivery around off stump. GT captain Shubman Gill sprinted backward from mid-off to take a fine running catch. This wicket took Rabada's Powerplay tally to 18, surpassing Mohammed Shami's previous record of 17 wickets in the 2023 season.
Most Powerplay Wickets in an IPL Season
- 18 – Kagiso Rabada (2026)*
- 17 – Mohammed Shami (2023)
- 16 – Mitchell Johnson (2013)
- 16 – Trent Boult (2020)
Earlier, Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first. GT made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Kulwant Khejroliya for Arshad Khan. RCB also made a change, with Jacob Duffy replacing Romario Shepherd.
Match Context
The winner of Qualifier 1 secures direct entry into the IPL 2026 final, while the losing side gets another chance through Qualifier 2. RCB and GT finished first and second on the points table, both with 18 points, separated only by net run rate. Their head-to-head record this season was 1-1, and overall it stands at 4-4 in IPL history.
RCB, the defending champions, suffered one of their five defeats this season against GT, whose bowling attack troubled them. However, RCB avenged that loss in the reverse fixture. Both teams are chasing their second IPL title: RCB aims to defend their crown, while GT looks to reclaim the trophy they won in their debut season in 2022.
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Jacob Duffy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar. Impact substitutes: Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Kanishk Chauhan, Abhinandan, Jordan Cox.
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj. Impact substitutes: Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Kumar Kushagra.
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