The chemistry between Siraj and Rabada is phenomenal: Dahiya

The chemistry between Siraj and Rabada is phenomenal: Dahiya

Gujarat Titans' assistant coach Vijay Dahiya believes that consistency in selection has been central to the success of both the Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season, with the two sides set to square off in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on the back of formidable pace attacks.

GT boast the best seam attack of the tournament, leading the charts for wickets (79), average (22.93), strike rate (14.9), economy rate (9.18) and dot-ball percentage (43.6). RCB's pacers sit third on the wickets tally with 66 scalps at an average of 27.37 and an economy rate of 9.82.

"I think at the end of the day, you have to have a solid bowling unit. The other thing which is very important in both sides is the consistency in the bowling unit. The self-belief in the bowlers and the belief by the captain or management in those bowlers — you hardly see any change in either side and that's what pays," said Dahiya.

RCB's pace combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood has been quite effective, with 36 wickets between them. GT have found similar success through Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, who have picked up 41 wickets combined.

"The chemistry between Siraj and Rabada is phenomenal, not only on the field but off the field as well. They understand each other mentally and skill-wise. They understand how the game is going and what I need to do to help my partner. Normally when you talk about partnership, it goes with batting, but they have a very good partnership. A lot of credit needs to be given to Ashish Nehra, the way he handles both of them — different characters from different environments," Dahiya added.

The pace battle could define proceedings in Dharamsala. Since 2023, pacers have picked up 78 wickets at the venue compared to just 22 for spinners, although spinners have a slightly better economy rate (9.47 vs 10.23). The average first-innings total stands at 210, rising to 216 in winning causes.

Despite the venue heavily favouring seamers, Dahiya felt experienced spinners on both sides could still influence the contest.

"The quality of spin in both sides includes two very mature spinners. They will play their part irrespective of what the surface is."

Among the few spinners to thrive this season has been Rashid Khan, who bounced back with 19 wickets after managing only 10 in IPL 2024 and nine in IPL 2025.

"He has gone through a couple of surgeries and that's why it took a season or two. But this season, the space he is in from day one is top class. He is doing a lot of single wicket bowling and having chats with batters to understand what he is lacking. That hunger of getting better is very visible. He wants to contribute to the side where he is valued as a very important player," Dahiya said.