T20 World Cup Snub to Fuel Shubman Gill in IPL
The T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill. He is a quality player suited for all three formats
Gujarat Titans fell short in the TATA IPL Eliminator last season and will be aiming to go further and lift the trophy for the second time. Cricket experts Cheteshwar Pujara and Sanjay Bangar backed captain Shubman Gill to come back strong, highlighted the Titans’ explosive top order, discussed their pace attack, and Rashid Khan’s evolving challenges with the ball.
Cheteshwar Pujara discussed how the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup snub could motivate Shubman Gill in TATA IPL 2026:
“The T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill. He is a quality player suited for all three formats. If he has a good IPL 2026 season, he will surely put his name in India’s T20I squad.
He is leading the Test squad and is also the ODI captain. He is a multi-format player. If he has a good season, he will be back in the scheme of things for the Indian team. There will be some pressure on him because he has not been part of the India squad in the shortest format. But at the same time, it is a great opportunity for him to carry on batting the way he has. He needs to try and accelerate a little more because that is something he has been working on. This IPL season is the perfect one for him to show he can bat at a strike rate of 150 to 160.”
On Ashok Sharma’s chances of breaking into the GT playing XI this season:
“Playing your first IPL season with a team like GT, under the guidance of Ashish Nehra, will be a big opportunity for Ashok Sharma. He may not get into the playing XI immediately early in the season because you have Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Kagiso Rabada as the third seamer. But I won’t be surprised if Rabada misses out at some point. If they think of bringing in someone like Jason Holder, who has been in prime form in T20 cricket, they could have an extra Indian seamer in Ashok Sharma instead of Rabada. That might be a combination GT can look at. But in the first phase of the IPL, their playing XI will likely remain as it was in the past.”
On why Gujarat Titans are title contenders this season:
“GT look like a title favourite this season. If you look at their squad, the top order of Captain Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler is incredible. You cannot have a better top order than them. These three have scored runs with amazing consistency.
That is their main strength. The number of all-rounders they have, especially with the addition of Jason Holder, makes them even stronger. Holder is in great form with both, bat and ball, and will love to contribute in both departments. Rahul Tewatia will be their main finisher. He can bowl a few overs if needed, but his primary job is to bat well at number six or seven.
Shahrukh Khan is also a key player. If he starts performing as per his potential, GT will be a different team altogether. When it comes to bowling, their strength is their seamers. Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna are their main pacers and Ishant Sharma is also on the bench if needed. Ashok Sharma will be unleashed with his fiery pace at some point in the season.
Left-armer Luke Wood is another seamer who knows how to do well. If Rabada does not perform, Wood can replace him. But I hope Rabada, being a strike bowler, has a good IPL. All GT fans will be hoping the same.”
Sanjay Bangar explained how Gujarat Titans will shape their playing combination for TATA IPL 2026:
“One thing GT have done is persist with the players they selected in the first place. They have stuck with Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia. Washington Sundar has been given a role in T20 cricket for them. Not necessarily with the ball, but he comes in to bat in important positions, maybe at number four. I see a similar role for Washington Sundar, more with the bat. We hope Shahrukh Khan repays the faith shown by the GT management in him.
He showed signs of improvement last season, scoring runs at crucial times. If both, Tewatia and Shahrukh play, one could be used as an impact player. If they contribute lower down the order, that will help GT a lot because most runs came from the top order last time. I am also tempted to bring someone like Glenn Phillips into the mix for middle-order firepower.
With Jos Buttler at the top, Phillips in the middle, and Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada as main bowlers, it is a good mix of overseas players.”
On the reasons behind Rashid Khan’s reduced mystery factor in T20 cricket:
“Rashid Khan’s mystery factor fading away can be a combination of multiple factors. There is now broad familiarity among batters on how to play him. Batsmen have had enough look-ins because Rashid plays in all major franchise T20 leagues. He is a franchise king. Players all around the world get opportunities to play against him. The more you face a bowler, your mind starts finding methods to deal with him. The pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium is not on the slower side. A major part of his game was to hit the pads or get bowled dismissals by keeping the stumps in play.
That goes away a little bit. The injury he had, he has come back from it. It may be taking a toll in terms of the pace he is bowling at. These are factors because of which his returns may have diminished a little. But he is still a bowler who picks up two or three wickets and bowls with an economy rate of under eight an over.
