Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has made it clear that his team’s main focus in IPL 2026 will be on scoring big totals regularly. The 2022 champions are aiming to win the title again when the ten-team tournament begins on March 28.
Gill’s clear message
At a pre-season press conference on Thursday, Gill explained his team’s thinking.
“At the end of the day, you have to score more runs than the other team. Whether it’s by four runs or 150-200 runs, the goal is to win. We are not chasing the glory of scoring 300-350 in a single match,” Gill said.
“We want to be a team that consistently scores big runs and achieves the par target for that wicket. We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that performs only on good wickets,” he added.
GT’s opening match
Gujarat Titans will start their IPL 2026 campaign against last year’s runners-up, Punjab Kings, on March 31 in Mullanpur.
Coach Ashish Nehra supports the plan
Head coach Ashish Nehra fully backed his captain’s words.
“Like the captain just mentioned, we want to be a team that can win in any condition, in any situation, home or away,” he said.
GT’s strong record so far
Since joining the IPL in 2022, Gujarat Titans have reached the playoffs in three out of four seasons. They won the title in their very first year and finished as runners-up in 2023.
Nehra defends the middle order
There has been some criticism about GT’s middle order because the team depends a lot on the top three – Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. Coach Ashish Nehra defended his players strongly.
“First things first, as a coach, I don’t feel the middle order was collapsing. Yes, the top three scored heavily and often batted through 17-18 overs, which is one of the main reasons the team was in such a strong position after 13-14 games.
“It was a disappointing end to the tournament, no doubt, but when your top three are scoring that many runs, the middle order naturally faces very few deliveries, and that’s not an easy role. There may have been one or two occasions in 14 games when Nos. 5 or 6 could have finished the match and didn’t, but that’s part of the game.”
“Whether it was Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, or Sherfane Rutherford, they did their job, and that’s why we were where we were. It’s always easy to talk about finishers, but it’s not simple when someone walks in at the 18th over needing 35 off two, especially if Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer is bowling.”
Simple takeaway for fans
Shubman Gill and coach Ashish Nehra want Gujarat Titans to become a complete team that can win matches on any pitch and in any condition, not just on batting-friendly grounds.
They believe consistent big scores and smart cricket in tough situations will help them go all the way in IPL 2026.
GT fans will be hoping the team starts strongly against Punjab Kings on March 31 and carries this balanced approach throughout the season.
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