Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 4 (ANI): Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Jason Holder credited bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada for making his job easier after the trio helped GT set up a four-wicket win against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Sunday.

Holder won the Player of the Match (POTM) award for his match-defining bowling figures of 4/24 in 4 overs. Holder claimed the wickets of PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett. Rabada and Siraj also accounted for two wickets each in the initial overs to make Holder's job easier later in the match.

Notably, Siraj claimed wickets of Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly in the first over of the match, while Rabada got rid of Prabhsimran Singh in the sixth over. The bowlers' efforts helped GT restrict PBKS to 163/9 despite a 79-run stand between Suryansh Shedge (57 off 29) and Marcus Stoinis (40 off 31).

In reply, GT also stumbled early, but Sai Sudharsan (57 off 41) anchored the chase, while Washington Sundar (40* off 23) finished the job with a six in the final over.

With this win, GT moved to sixth place with 12 points, while PBKS remained at the top of the table with 13 points.

After the match, Jason Holder praised Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada for their strong bowling, saying it made his job easier in the middle overs, but stressed that he still focused on executing plans and keeping pressure on the opposition.

'Credit to both Siraj and KG (Kagiso Rabada). Their efforts have been outstanding. Makes my job easier, coming in the middle. Having said that, still need to come and execute. Main thing is to keep pressure on. Ensure you make it difficult for them to score,' Holder said in the post-match presentation.

Holder, 34, added that playing mainly T20 cricket over the past year and a half has helped him stay prepared for different situations, even though he still hopes to play Test cricket. Holder said his aim is to stay mentally fresh, remain positive, and make an impact whenever he is called upon.

'Last year and half, only played T20 cricket. Would still love to play Test cricket, but able to focus on T20 cricket. Ensures I'm ready for all situations. For me, executing when called upon. Keeping fresh mind, staying positive, execute when called upon... Try to make an impact, best as I can under pressure,' he said. (ANI)