Kagiso Rabada surged to the joint-top of the IPL bowlers’ charts after another superb performance against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rabada delivered a crucial three-wicket spell with the Proteas pace bowler dismantling the CSK lower order to finish with figures of 3/32 in 3.4 overs. The performance brought his season tally to 24 wickets in 14 matches, tying him with Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the race for the coveted Purple Cap.
Defending their 229/4 on home turf, the Titans relied heavily on Rabada to stifle the Super Kings’ run chase. Rabada, operating with an economy rate of 8.73 on the night, consistently hit the deck to remove Matthew Short upfront before closing out the innings in the 14th over with the wickets of Noor Ahmad and Spencer Johnson.
Rabada’s new-ball partner Mohammed Siraj also bagged 3/26 along with captain Rashid Khan’s 3/18.
The Proteas spearhead’s ability to strike both in the Powerplay and at the death has been a cornerstone of the Gujarat Titans’ success this season and they will be hoping he maintains this form heading into the playoffs.
“Our top-three were phenomenal, scored the bulk of the runs and put up a good total. Put up a total we could defend,” Rabada said after the 89-run victory.
“It’s about doing your best every game no matter how you feel. As long as you rock up and not afraid of being competitive, that’s all I try and do.
“I’ve bowled in all three phases. For me, it’s whatever the coach and team require of me.”
The 30-year-old is looking forward to the opportunity to refresh ahead of next weekend’s playoffs.
“We’ve got a while now,” he said. “Feet up, I guess, get stuck in your hotel room, watch some series and hit the ground running.”
