GT Quicks Unleash Slow-Ball Masterclass to Outsmart Mumbai Indians in Indian Premier League 2025

The Chennai Super Kings head coach, Stephen Fleming, had downplayed the idea of a distinct home advantage in Chennai, but Parthiv Patel, the assistant coach of Gujarat Titans, knew better. He preferred a black-soil pitch against his former franchise, Mumbai Indians, and it proved to be a masterstroke. The MI batters, accustomed to the truer red-soil surface at Wankhede, struggled to time the ball, eventually falling 36 short.

The Gujarat Titans' seamers, led by Prasidh Krishna, used slower deliveries to devastating effect, turning the game around with 5/111 in 14 overs at an economy of 7.92. This was a significant improvement from their run-filled season opener, where they went for 1/157 at 13.08. The slower ones remained a prime weapon for GT, with batters finding it difficult to score against pace-off deliveries.

The data suggests that batters vs slower ones against quicks in Ahmedabad in IPL 2025 have struggled, with a strike rate of 115.71 in the 9th Match. Prasidh Krishna's variation was particularly effective, with 11 off-cutters costing him just eight runs. Kagiso Rabada also used off-cutters and leg-cutters to great effect, going for just 15 in the powerplay. The impact of GT quicks was such that Rashid Khan, the leading-wicket taker in T20s, wasn't required to finish his four-over quota in a completed 20-over innings. As Gujarat Titans prepare to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru next, they may well repeat the tactics that brought them success against Mumbai Indians, especially given the effectiveness of slower ones at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2024.