IPL 2026 | Good length deliveries hardest to score off: Jason Holder

AHMEDABAD: With seven wickets in four matches at an economy of 6.94 in an IPL edition where teams looked to maximise Powerplay, allrounder Jason Holder has revitalised Gujarat Titans’ campaign.

Despite going wicketless in the eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last week, the West Indian gave away just 22 runs in his four overs. Against RCB in Ahmedabad, he returned figures of 2/29 to win the Player of the Match (POTM) award and on Sunday, followed it up with 4/24 against table-toppers Punjab Kings for another POTM award.



On how he consistently nailed the good-length delivery, the Barbadian said, “That’s what we train. For me personally, it’s a length that I spend a lot of time on because I feel it’s the hardest length to hit whether or not the wicket may be flat or placid. But again, it’s all about assessment,” he said.

“You’ve got to assess what length is best on the wicket. So I don’t even think it’s a situation where this is our standard length. The conditions here dictate that you could hold on your length a little longer. When we’ve gone to other venues, we’ve made the adjustment and that’s a sign that we’re a really good bowling line-up.

“Like anything else, you’ve got to practice it. You’ve got to really put in some hard yards in your training. The length is making it challenging for the opposition to score,” he said.

Holder, though, was magnanimous in crediting Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj for their new-ball burst. “Credit to both KG (Rabada) and Siraj. They’ve been outstanding this entire competition. They’ve led the powerplay, making it difficult for the opposition. That’s a big spoil for their class,” he said later on Sunday.

“Very rarely I’ve seen two bowlers, one in three overs, back-to-back in the powerplay. So it says a lot about their calibre and their quality. When they start, they set the tone in terms of what length works on the wicket. And then it’s just a matter for all the other bowlers to follow,” added Holder.
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