Gujarat Titans (GT) saw enough of Glenn Phillips, and despite his obvious ability, decided IPL 2026 wasn't going to be his season. Enter Jason Holder. And he has already made a difference. In the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, Holder was the Player of the Match as GT won by a canter, returning 2 for 29, taking three catches including a contentious one, and then scoring a crucial 12 when GT needed just that from him.
"I was a little bit worried that he was on the bench all that time [GT's first six matches] and then he was going to come in and they're going to ask as much of him to be that much better than the player that he replaced," Ian Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show. "I suppose it wasn't hard. He can bowl in the powerplay for you if you want him to; he can bowl at the death; he'll bowl his pace-off [deliveries] in the middle.
"He relishes the opportunity to bat higher for teams in T20 cricket. He doesn't always get [the chance], but he wants to, he thinks he's a batsman sometimes who bowls rather than a bowler who bats. And with so many catches being dropped… when you see him catching like that, you can put him in any position on the field and he'll catch for you. Give him the [wicketkeeping] gloves, he'll do that. So that makes you a real asset to take those catches when so many catches have gone down recently."
Holder isn't new to the IPL, even though he hasn't done a lot over the years to command the sort of attention he might have wanted to. He has been part of Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) over the years, with perhaps his best run coming in the 2020-2022 period, the first two years with SRH and then with LSG, when he returned 14, 16 and 14 wickets respectively.
"When we were pursuing Jason at the auction, it was with a mind to him being able to fulfil both roles, the bat and the ball, so he does offer that," Vikram Solanki, the GT director of cricket, said after the win over RCB. "His numbers, I think if you take a look over the last calendar year and perhaps a little bit longer than that, his numbers at five and six [in the batting order] have been quite outstanding, and that's just, as I said, has come about because he of course has all of the ability that you'd need.
"He's physically a strong guy, has great reach and leverage as far as the ball is concerned, so all of the technicalities are sort of covered off. He also is now bringing an added dimension, that sort of sprinkling stardust, if you like, of being a really experienced campaigner and I think that's what's playing out, that's what we're seeing in front of us now."
Since 2025, the period Solanki referred to, Holder has scored 742 runs in 41 T20 innings when batting between Nos. five and seven, going at a strike rate of 162.36 and averaging 28.53. Those long levers have also brought him 60 sixes in this period. That is apart from what he does in the bowling innings. With Phillips having disappointed with 67 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 124.07, Holder was a somewhat automatic fill-in.
"He's a world-class allrounder, isn't he," Solanki said. "He's sort of proven across the years in international cricket and franchise cricket how measured he is and I think he's only getting better. He spoke about understanding his game and that of course comes with experience. Any player that has played for as long as he has, around the world as he has, led teams as he has - international teams and been part of different teams - starts to get an understanding of what should be done in any given situation and Jason is certainly doing that.
"He's had to wait his time before he's got an opportunity, but since he's got an opportunity in all of the games he's played, he's made good contributions. And today in the field, he was brilliant. He's also quite smart in playing exactly the way he needs to given any sort of situation and that partnership with Rahul Tewatia [30 runs for the sixth wicket against RCB] is exactly an example of that."
All the things Holder can do when at his best makes him "the perfect storm", Solanki said. "A skilled cricketer that has experience, wants to be a part of the team, is a thorough gentleman. He's very articulate when he speaks. I suppose, between you and I, we've got a bit of fandom for Jason."
