Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada.
Rabada was instrumental in GT’s victory over Punjab Kings on May 3 and extended their winning streak to 3 matches.
Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Jason Holder achieved their third consecutive victory for GT
On Sunday in Ahmedabad, Siraj set the ball rolling after dismissing Priyansh Arya off the second ball of the match. The pacer added another wicket on the next ball by dismissing Cooper Connolly for a golden duck.
Kagiso Rabada added to Punjab’s woes by dismissing Prabhsimran Singh in the sixth over. Rabada converted the last turn of the power play into a maiden.
Jason Holder then struck twice in quick succession by dismissing Nehal Wadhera for a duck first and then getting rid of Shreyas Iyer. All this left Punjab reeling at 47/5 before Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis recovered.
Half-centurion Wadhera fell to Rabada later in the innings, and the Protea finished with figures of 2/22 in their four overs.
A cameo by Marco Jansen took Punjab to 163 and gave the players something to play for.
Sai Sudharsan made a fifty and GT looked set to chase the total but Arshdeep Singh led the Punjab bowlers in a spirited fight that led to a collapse in the middle.
In the end, Washington Sundar held on with an unbeaten 40 giving GT victory in the last over.
Also Read: Shubman Gill trolls Punjab Kings after GT win, slams Shreyas Iyer
Ashwin reserves high praise for Kagiso Rabada
Ravichandran Ashwin took to his YouTube channel and praised Kagiso Rabada and his bowling efforts that night.
“He feels like he has been spiritually possessed. Not only is he bowling fast, he is unleashing lightning bolts. Prabhsimran Singh literally stepped aside in front of him with his back leg frozen. Rabada set the pace for GT. The way he bowled Prabhsimran almost made the batsman want to leave,” he said.
Apart from Rabada, Ashwin also praised GT’s entire bowling attack and Shubman Gill’s captaincy.
“The ball literally goes into his hands when he catches it. Shreyas Iyer has been singing in this IPL. However, Holder upset him and dismissed him,” Ashwin said about Jason Holder, who had been declared Player of the Match.
Ashwin went on to talk about how GT’s in-form and quality bowling line-up has made Shubman Gill’s job as captain easier.
“You are as good as your bowlers and your team in general. When you have Siraj, Rabada, Holder and Rashid Khan, you will look good. Bowlers can make a captain look smart or dumb. Bowlers in this attack will always bowl to their fields. That in itself is half the job done for a captain,” Ashwin said.
“He has a high-quality attack that is executed well, which benefits him. But he is able to use Rashid Khan well even though he is not yet at his best and plays too full. Gill still uses him in the finals and gets his way,” he concluded.
Kagiso Rabada at IPL 2026
Ashwin’s high praise for Kagiso Rabada is not in vain. Rabada is currently GT’s highest wicket-taker in IPL 2026 and is ranked third in the Purple Cap list.
After a difficult start to the season, he picked up the pace in the final games. Kagiso Rabada now has 16 wickets in 10 matches in this year’s IPL. He has been going for a 22.5 average and 9.23 economy with better numbers of 3/25.
In fact, it is the first time since 2023 that he has touched the 15-wicket mark in an IPL season.
Gujarat Titans next match
Fifth-ranked GT will take on fourth-ranked Rajasthan Royals in their next match. Kagiso Rabada is expected to play a central role again.
Both teams have 6 wins in 10 games, but RR has a much higher net run rate. The two teams have met once before this season. On that occasion, RR won a late thriller by 6 runs. Surprisingly, Kagiso Rabada also contributed with the bat in that match.