Kagiso Rabada rewrote the history books by breaking two all-time records during the first qualifier of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) at Dharamshala on Tuesday (May 26). The South African pacer continued his red-hot form in the season by getting an early wicket for the Titans again.
Rabada struck in his first over of the evening by dismissing Venkatesh Iyer (19 off 7), who made a quick start. This was the 31-year-old’s 25th wicket in the season this year and 18th in the powerplay, which has seen him hit an unprecedented high.
Kagiso Rabada Breaks Mohammed Shami’s Record
Rabada broke Mohammed Shami’s all-time record for the most wickets in the powerplay in a single season. The Indian cricket legend had also set the record while playing for the Titans in the 2023 season of the IPL in which they played the final.
Most Wickets In Powerplay In IPL History
| player | Wickets | Year |
| Kagiso Rabada(Gujarat Titans) | 18 | 2026 |
| Mohammed Shami (Gujarat Titans) | 17 | 2023 |
| Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians) | 16 | 2020 |
| Mitchell Johnson (Mumbai Indians) | 16 | 2013 |
| Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings) | 15 | 2019 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | 15 | 2026 |
| Mohit Shamra (Chennai Super Kings) | 15 | 2013 |
Bhuvneshwar has the chance to break the record this season as he has 15 wickets with at least two matches left. Rabada will at least have one more chance to extend the record.
Kagiso Rabada’s All-Time Record
Meanwhile, this marks the third instance of Rabada taking 25 (or more wickets) in a single edition of the IPL. The South African also took 25 and 30 wickets in the 2019 and 2020 seasons for the Delhi Capitals (DC). He is the first player in history with three seasons of 25 or more wickets. Dwayne Bravo was the only other player with multiple such seasons.
Players to Take 25 Or More Wickets In An IPL Season Most Times
| player | Seasons With 25 Or More Wickets |
| Kagiso Rabada | 3 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 2 |
| Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, James Faulkner, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Morne Morkel, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Imran Tahir | 1 |
Rabada is also the first player to take 25 wickets in a season for multiple teams (DC in 2019 and 2020 and GT in 2026). Both of Bravo’s seasons (2013 and 2015) had come while playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Kagiso Rabada’s Stellar IPL Record
Rabada has 144 wickets to his name in just 99 matches in the IPL. Apart from DC (2017 to 2021) and GT (2025-present), he has also played for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) from 2022 to 2025. His tally of six four-wicket hauls is the second-best by a pacer in the league’s history behind only Lasith Malinga.
The South African ended his spell with figures of 2-54 in four overs. His tally of 26 wickets sees him hold the purple cap at the end of the first innings. Bhuvneshwar (24) has the chance to go past him.
