GT will need to send Priyansh Arya back early.
Priyansh Arya has been brutal against pace in the powerplay since his IPL debut last season. Overall, he averages 36.21 and has a strike rate of 197.28 in the first six overs. He hits a boundary every 2.88 deliveries.
Clearly, the southpaw is too dominant against fast bowlers, especially on flat surfaces. There has been some movement on offer early on, but Priyansh Arya has hardly altered his game or shown too many issues. In fact, he goes even harder now and has shown better consistency at times.
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Earlier in the tournament, we covered how spin works well against both Punjab Kings’ openers, but opponents have still not used it enough. Gujarat Titans (GT) are heavily reliant on pace to do the job in the powerplay and will again employ the same strategy in Ahmedabad. They have Manav Suthar, who has bowled well in limited chances and can be used at the start.
However, if GT decide to stick with seamers, which looks likely to extract some new-ball movement, they will need to employ straighter lines to control Priyansh Arya. As brutal as he’s been against pace, he has struggled at times on the middle and off-stump lines. He has also been dismissed more often and plays a lot more false shots.
On the middle and off-stump line vs pace, Priyansh Arya has averaged just 20.25 and struck at around 142.10 in the powerplay since last season. He has been dismissed as many as four times and plays around 40.35% false shots. The ball-per-boundary ratio surges to 4.38.
For the record, Arya collectively strikes at 213 and averages a whopping 42.60 on other lines against pacers. He has found the fence every 2.63 deliveries. So, the margin of error is minimal for fast bowlers.
The middle and off-stump lines trouble him because he tends to play on the up and over the fielders almost every time. When there’s no room to do so, Arya gets in trouble and either plays with a twisted bat or misses the ball completely. So, if there’s any movement, and the ball moves from the front, he can get into trouble, but the lines will need to be immaculate.
Priyansh Arya’s issues are compounded when bowled at speeds quicker than 140 km/h. On all pace deliveries above 140 km/h, Arya has averaged just 9.20 and struck at 164.28 in the powerplay since 2025. He has lost his wicket as many as five times and plays around 46.4% dot balls.
Between 120-140 km/h, his average and strike rate surge to 44.44 and 202, respectively. Dot balls reduce to just 33.8%. On off-pace deliveries slower than 120 km/h, the batter has never been dismissed and strikes at 234.78.
Kagiso Rabada will hold the key against Priyansh Arya in the powerplay. Rabada has been among the quickest bowlers this season, and with the new ball, he’s been too hot to handle. Around 86.95% of his total deliveries have been above 140 km/h in the first six overs in IPL 2026, picking up nine wickets at an average of 19.44 and an economy rate of 9.13.
He will hold the key for Gujarat Titans since Mohammed Siraj has blown hot and cold with the new ball. Rabada has all the ingredients, and more importantly, form to trouble the Punjab Kings opener. He will also get favourable conditions, with ample new-ball movement in Ahmedabad.
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