Gujarat Titans Aim for Consistent High Scores in IPL 2026, Says Shubman Gill
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Ahmedabad, March 26 (NationPress) Captain Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans (GT) stated that the team’s objective for the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season is to consistently achieve high scores, as the 2022 champions aim to secure another title when the ten-team competition kicks off on March 28.
“Ultimately, the goal is to outscore the opposing team, whether that means winning by four runs or 150–200 runs. We are not pursuing the prestige of exceeding 300–350 runs in a single game,” he emphasized.
“Our aim is to establish ourselves as a team that regularly accumulates substantial runs and meets the target set by the pitch conditions. We aspire to secure victories across varied circumstances. We do not wish to be a team that only excels on favorable pitches,” Gill remarked during a pre-season press briefing on Thursday.
GT will commence their IPL 2026 journey against last season's finalists, Punjab Kings, in Mullanpur on March 31. Head coach Ashish Nehra supported his captain’s vision. “As the captain stated, our goal is to be a team capable of winning in any setting, regardless of whether we are playing at home or away,” he noted.
Since their inception in 2022, GT has made it to the playoffs in three of the four seasons, clinching the title in their debut year and finishing as runners-up in 2023. Nehra also responded to critiques regarding GT’s middle order, which has been viewed as overly dependent on the top three batsmen—Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler—for significant runs.
“As a coach, I don’t believe the middle order collapsed. The top three scored heavily and often batted through the last overs, which is a key factor in our strong position after the first 13-14 games,” he explained.
“While the conclusion of the tournament was disappointing, it's worth noting that with our top three players accumulating runs, the middle order faced very few deliveries—a challenging position to be in. There may have been a couple of instances where Nos. 5 or 6 could have secured a win but didn’t, which is part of the sport,” Nehra concluded.
“Players like Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, or Sherfane Rutherford performed their duties, and that's why we were in a good position. It’s easy to discuss finishers, but it becomes complex when someone steps in during the 18th over needing 35 runs, especially against bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer,” Nehra added.