In a high-scoring thriller where over 400 runs were piled up with 25 balls to spare, it might seem harsh to nitpick the bowlers. After all, in recent IPL editions, batting-dominant games have become the norm. Yet, dig into the finer details of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) clash against Gujarat Titans (GT), and you’ll find a clear theme: Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal systematically dismantled GT’s trusted pace formula.
The Quick Bowling Blueprint — and How It Crumbled
GT’s success this season has largely hinged on their quicks setting the tone early. With Mohammed Siraj striking upfront and Prasidh Krishna exploiting the middle overs with hard lengths, GT’s strategy was clear and effective. Their short-ball approach had fetched them 15 wickets at a stellar economy of 8.08 — the best among all seam attacks.
Prasidh, in particular, thrived with hard lengths:
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9 wickets from short or back-of-a-length deliveries
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Economy: 6.38
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Dot ball %: 43.7%
However, Monday was a different story. Facing an in-form Suryavanshi and an increasingly mature Jaiswal, Siraj and Ishant Sharma tried sticking to their usual plan. In the first four overs alone, they bowled 23 short or good-length balls, and RR raced to 60 runs. Washington Sundar’s attempt to bowl flat into the wicket backfired too, conceding 21 runs in one over.
Prasidh did offer a rare quiet spell to end the powerplay, but by then, the damage was done.
RR’s Powerplay Domination: A Clear Pattern
Despite their overall struggles in IPL 2025, RR’s one consistent strength has been blistering starts. Coming into this match:
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Powerplay Run Rate: 10.38 — best among all teams.
In their previous game against RCB, Jaiswal and Suryavanshi hammered 72/2 in six overs while chasing 206, with a particularly aggressive approach against short balls.
Key improvements for Jaiswal vs Short Balls:
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IPL 2024: 6 dismissals to short balls (4 in Powerplay) despite striking at 150+
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IPL 2025 (before this match): 115 runs off 70 balls, just 2 dismissals, Strike Rate: 164.28.
Suryavanshi has also shown flair against the short ball, scoring 26 runs off 10 balls in previous innings.
Against GT, their approach was even more aggressive:
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80.7% attack rate against pace.
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Scored 123 off 48 balls against quicks at an astonishing strike rate of 256.25.
Interestingly, GT hardly pitched it up — only five full balls bowled across the innings, with three full tosses being punished. The only successful yorker? It came too late — after the match was already in RR’s pocket.
Lessons GT Could Have Learned
RR had a recent history of stumbling under pressure while chasing. In their previous home outing, needing 25 off 18 with eight wickets in hand, Avesh Khan turned the match by executing perfect yorkers, removing Jaiswal and sparking a collapse.
Similarly, two days before that, Mitchell Starc had robbed RR of two points with his pinpoint death bowling.
Had GT switched to a death-overs plan — full balls, yorkers — earlier in the innings, history suggests they could have forced errors from the young RR openers.
How Suryavanshi and Jaiswal Hammered GT Quick Bowling (Length-wise)
| Length | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | Wickets | Dot Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 14 | 5 | 280.00 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Good | 50 | 16 | 312.50 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Short | 59 | 27 | 218.51 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
GT’s Short-Ball Record: A Double-Edged Sword
| Scenario | Matches | Runs | Balls | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate | Economy | Boundary % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 6 | 260 | 219 | 13 | 20.00 | 16.8 | 7.12 | 16.89% |
| Losses | 3 | 190 | 99 | 2 | 95.00 | 49.5 | 11.51 | 32.32% |
The short-ball ploy, so often a weapon for GT, has proved to be a liability in their defeats, where they have leaked runs at 11.51 runs per over and picked up just two wickets.
Conclusion: A Tactical Wake-up Call for GT
For a team that has so often prided itself on bowling discipline and clever use of short balls, GT’s rigidity in approach cost them dearly. Jaiswal and Suryavanshi showed that preparation, form, and fearlessness can dismantle even the best-laid plans.
As the playoff race tightens, GT still clings on mathematically — but if they are to survive and thrive, a rethink on bowling tactics, especially against aggressive openers, is absolutely critical.
