Gujarat Titans Respond To Criticism Of Shubman Gill And Sai Sudharsan IPL 2026
Gujarat Titans defend Gill, Sudharsan amid cautious batting criticism
The disappointment of a missed title opportunity has triggered a tactical debate around Gujarat Titans’ batting approach after their defeat in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first, Gujarat Titans struggled to build momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 155/8 in their 20 overs.
Washington Sundar’s fighting half-century provided some resistance, but the total never fully recovered to a commanding level. Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased the target comfortably in 18 overs, powered by an unbeaten 75 from Virat Kohli, sealing a clinical victory in the final.
In the aftermath, questions were raised over whether Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan had adopted an overly cautious approach during the innings. However, Gujarat Titans’ Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki rejected the criticism, arguing that the issue was more about match assessment than intent or conservatism from batters.
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Solanki said the surface did not necessarily demand a 200-plus total and suggested that a target around 180 would have been competitive. He defended the team’s approach, noting that both sides lost wickets and that the decisive factor was not lack of intent but a marginal misjudgment of the ideal score. He also credited Kohli’s innings for anchoring the chase effectively.
“I don’t think it was a 200-plus pitch of any sort… if we had got somewhere around 180, that would have been a challenging total,” Solanki said, adding that the match hinged on assessing conditions correctly rather than playing too cautiously.
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill echoed a similar view after the defeat, stating that a total in the 180–190 range would have been more defendable. He acknowledged early wicket losses disrupted momentum but denied that the pitch was significantly difficult, suggesting that the team simply failed to accelerate at the right phase of the innings.
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