Vaibhav Arora bowls all 3 of his allocated overs in the powerplay. The model identifies him as a pure new-ball specialist, with 68% of his career bowling balls delivered in overs 1 through 6. His overall dot ball percentage of 41% sits above the 37% average.

His regressed WAR per match of 0.22 and bowling WAR of 0.27 make him one of KKR's more valuable domestic pace options.

Powerplay Specialist

Arora's powerplay dot ball percentage of 44% is slightly below the 46% average. His PP economy also runs slightly above average. The raw numbers are not elite, but the model values his new-ball movement and consistency across a 966 ball sample.

His Ecae of -0.38 indicates he concedes slightly more than expected after phase adjustment. The bowling surplus of -16 confirms this is a bowler who needs to improve his phase-specific output.

The role fit score of 0.94 for the new-ball role is adequate rather than elite. Arora's value comes from being a domestic pacer who can absorb 3 powerplay overs, freeing overseas bowlers for the middle and death overs.

Career Profile

Across 47 T20 matches, Arora has bowled 966 balls with an IPL confidence of 0.74. His projected WAR of 0.27 for 2026 suggests the model expects improvement.

He does not contribute with the bat (0 batting balls), making his value entirely bowling-dependent. The xImpact of 47 reflects a functional role player.

What This Means for IPL 2026

Arora is a powerplay workhorse. His 3 overs in the first 6 overs allow Narine and Chakaravarthy to save their overs for the middle phase, and Muzarabani to focus on the death. That division of labor is central to KKR's bowling strategy. Arora's ceiling is limited, but his role is essential.