Key Points

But since then, Prasidh has turned a corner in a brilliant fashion. Such has been the turnaround after that opening game that the tall pacer is now sitting on the top of wicket-takers list in IPL 2025 with 16 scalps in eight games.

Bowling at speeds above 140, Prasidh uses his height to create steep bounce, thus setting him apart in the middle overs. His accurate yorkers and slower ball variations make him a dangerous bowler to negotiate for batters in the back end of an innings.

With GT primed to seal a spot in the playoffs, Prasidh stated that focus on basics and getting execution better has helped him be at the top of wicket-takers' chart. "Well, firstly, wickets are just a part of the game. I think bowling well is important. The first game, if I look at the way things went about, all of us had our plans right."

"We were just missing our execution by a bit. It just took us to get back into the ground, practice on our skills, get back to the basics of the game and then come back to the ground to execute them," said Prasidh to IANS, on JioHotstar Press Room show on Sunday, a day before GT take on Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

Prasidh stepping up for GT, who have been without Kagiso Rabada after three games due to personal reasons, has meant that the IPL 2022 champions have been able to get a point of difference in their bowling line-up, irrespective of how the pitches have been.

It also helps that IPL 2025 has been a season where the saliva usage rule for bowlers has curbed batters' rampaging ways of scoring runs. Against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad, GT's home venue, Prasidh picked 2-18 on a black soil pitch, where his use of slower balls stood out.

When Rajasthan Royals (RR), his old team came calling, GT reverted to playing on a red soil pitch and Prasidh again stood out with 3-24, with his thunderbolts standing out. But his most telling contribution at home came by picking 4-41 against Delhi Capitals under scorching Ahmedabad heat.

On a belter, DC were on a rampage till Prasidh came and bowled an array of bouncers at his Karnataka team-mate KL Rahul before slipping in a toe-crushing yorker to trap his lbw. From there, he and GT did enough to keep DC to 203, which was easily chased down by the hosts' top-order.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that Prasidh's favourite scalp in IPL 2025 is of him taking out Rahul. "I would say KL Rahul's wicket was my favorite because I was kind of under the pressure, the ball was going all over the place and I had to nail that ball there. Luckily, that the ball swung very late and got somebody like KL Rahul. That wicket was really important to break the momentum that they had," he added.

One of the big reasons behind GT's rise to the top of IPL 2025 points table has been largely due to Prasidh's crucial contributions in the middle and slog overs. With six remaining matches in the league phase of the tournament, including a rematch against DC on May 11 in New Delhi, the fit and in-form Prasidh appears poised to continue GT's success and who knows it could prove pivotal for the side if they win the IPL for the second time in Kolkata on May 25.

Catch Gujarat Titans in action against Rajasthan Royals at 7:30 PM on 28th April, 2025 as teams race to the TATA IPL play-offs, live and exclusive on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network

- IANS