Gujarat sink Kolkata with adaptable bowling in IPL, says Rabada

Gujarat Titans adapted to conditions to secure a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said, focusing on tight bowling instead of the explosive batting that has been the hallmark of the Indian Premier League.

Gujarat’s victory was shaped by a disciplined bowling display led by Rabada and India pacer Mohammed Siraj, before captain Shubman Gill anchored the chase with a commanding 86 off 50, consigning ailing Kolkata to another defeat.

Rabada couldn’t create a defining impact early in the season, with the South African striking at key moments but conceding runs too freely to allow opposing teams back into contests.

Against Kolkata, however, he found the right balance, sharing the new ball and bowling the entire powerplay alongside Siraj.

“Extra bounce has probably been my ally throughout my entire career,” Rabada told reporters.

“You look at someone like Siraj - he’s more skiddy, and on wickets that stay low he becomes a lot more of a threat than I do.”

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“Whereas on pitches that perhaps have a bit more bounce, you’re looking at that favouring my strength a bit more.”

The decision to persist with Rabada and Siraj during the powerplay paid dividends, as the pair struck early to leave Kolkata reeling at 37-3 inside six overs.

“On any given day, you could have them five down in that powerplay, but we’ll take three down any day,” the 30-year-old said.

“And then moving on to the middle overs and the death overs, it’s just about executing a game plan that we feel is going to work based on what we’ve adapted or pre-planned the ones to.”

Kolkata found resistance later through Cameron Green, whose resilient 79 briefly threatened to wrest momentum back, but the visitors were eventually restricted to 180 which Gujarat chased down with two balls to spare.

After the win, Gujarat climbed to fourth in the standings with six points, although net run-rate remains an issue in a tightly packed table.

Gujarat next face Mumbai Indians on Monday, while bottom-placed Kolkata, now on a six-match winless run, host Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.