Some bowlers win you matches. Kagiso Rabada wins you tournaments — six balls at a time, before the first strategic timeout has even been taken.

In the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala, the South African tearaway wrote another record into the IPL history books. Rabada’s 25th wicket of the season was his 18th in the powerplay — going past Mohammed Shami’s previous single-season record of 17 set in 2023, making him the leader for most powerplay wickets in an IPL season ever.

Most Powerplay Wickets in a Single IPL Season

Bowler	Powerplay Wickets	Season	Team
Kagiso Rabada	18 🏆	2026	Gujarat Titans
Mohammed Shami	17	2023	Gujarat Titans
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	16	2022	SRH
Jasprit Bumrah	14	2019	MI

The Record That Defines His Season

This was no gift wicket. Venkatesh Iyer ramp-attempted his way into trouble as Rabada’s pace got big on him — Shubman Gill took a stunning catch running back 15 metres from mid-off to complete the dismissal. Pure, uncompromising pace bowling. The kind that reminds batters why the first six overs exist as a survival exercise, not a scoring one.

Retained by Gujarat Titans for ₹10.75 crore ahead of IPL 2026, Rabada now has over 100 IPL wickets across eight seasons — making him one of the most decorated overseas fast bowlers in the league’s history, according to the official IPL player records.

Eighteen powerplay wickets in a single IPL season. Kagiso Rabada doesn’t just bowl in the powerplay — he owns it.

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