Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada broke a massive IPL record after claiming the wicket of Venkatesh Iyer during the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1. The South African speedster has been in sensational form throughout the tournament, locked in a fierce, head-to-head battle with Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the coveted Purple Cap this season.
Kagiso Rabada scripts history after breaking all-time IPL record
The Titans secured their spot in the first qualifier after a stellar league stage, finishing second on the points table and missing out on the top spot to RCB solely on net run rate. A driving force behind Gujarat's dominant run has been Rabada, who once again walked out as one of captain Shubman Gill's most trusted bowling weapons after GT won the toss and elected to bowl first in the high-stakes playoff opener.
Entrusted with the second over of the match, Rabada faced an early challenge when Venkatesh Iyer launched the fifth ball over the boundary for a massive six. However, the resilient veteran bounced back immediately on the very next delivery, using a sharp, back-of-length ball to outsmart and dismiss the dangerous left-handed batter on the final delivery of the over.
With that crucial breakthrough, Rabada captured his 18th wicket of the season strictly within the powerplay overs. In doing so, he officially shattered the all-time IPL record for the most powerplay wickets in a single season—a milestone previously set by Mohammed Shami during his own brilliant run with the Gujarat Titans back in 2023.
Kagiso Rabada's exceptional IPL track record
Rabada burst onto the IPL scene back in 2017 with the Delhi Capitals, where the young South African speedster quickly established himself as a genuine nightmare for opposition batsmen. He truly came into his own during his next two full seasons with the franchise in 2019 and 2020/21, dismantling batting lineups to pick up a staggering 55 wickets across just 29 matches.
Meanwhile, the match itself took an electric turn courtesy of Jason Holder, who brought the Gujarat Titans roaring back into the contest with an astonishing double strike. GT had earlier opted to field first in Dharamshala, hoping to restrict a dangerous RCB batting lineup on a batting-friendly track. Despite Rabada striking early, the Challengers managed to dictate the powerplay as Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli took the attack to the bowlers, motoring their side to a commanding 76 runs.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Holder was brought on to bowl the ninth over following a brief post-powerplay lull. The tall West Indian all-rounder first removed the ominous-looking Kohli, who dragged a shorter, wider delivery back onto his stumps. Just two balls later, Holder struck again to dismiss a well-set Padikkal, completely turning the tide of the match in a single over and leaving the Challengers suddenly searching for answers as their run rate began to choke.
But then came the hurricane in the form of Rajat Patidar, who cracked a lightning 33-ball 93 to help RCB post a colossal total of 254/5.