Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Gujarat Titans (GT) look capable of winning IPL 2026 under Shubman Gill’s leadership, said former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, while praising his authority and clarity in guiding the side to the playoffs.
GT, the IPL 2022 winners, entered the playoffs as the second-best team on the points table with 18 points and will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala – the winner will seal their ticket to the final to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31.
“For any captain, rotating your bowling and batting options effectively is crucial. You may have the weapons, but knowing when to use them at the right moment is what separates good captains from great ones. Shubman Gill has done that job brilliantly this season.
“He has captained with great authority and clarity. That is exactly what you want from your leader – not just a captain, but a leader who guides the team on the field. He has delivered with the bat as well, but his captaincy has been equally impressive.
“He has made bold decisions, rotated his bowlers smartly, and handled pressure situations calmly. Gujarat Titans are now at a stage where they look capable of winning the IPL this time. A lot of credit for that must go to the way Gill has led from the front,” Chawla said on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’.
Sanjay Bangar, the former India all-rounder and batting coach, reflected on the role of Sai Sudharsan’s father in supporting his son, who currently leads IPL 2026 run-scoring charts. “If you watch Sai Sudharsan’s father R Bharadwaj during the match, you will notice one thing that he always prays for his son. When your son is playing at this level, prayer and encouragement are what a player truly needs.
“And here, we see that connection. His father sits there, eyes closed, praying before every ball, then thanking God afterward. Only a father can understand those emotions. And because he himself was a sportsman, he can relate even more to what goes on in the mind of a player during a game.
“If you look at his eyes before each delivery, you can see the prayers continuing. These are the blessings of parents that take you far. And Sai Sudharsan has emerged as a star,” he added.
As GT’s ever-reliable opening pair, Gill and Sudharsan have amassed 702 runs in 13 innings this season at an average of 58.5 and a strike rate of 171, including two half-century stands and three century partnerships.
That tally is the highest for any pair in IPL 2026, ahead of Travis Head–Abhishek Sharma (690 runs), Yashasvi Jaiswal–Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (622 runs), Virat Kohli–Devdutt Padikkal (552 runs) and Heinrich Klaasen–Ishan Kishan (547 runs).
Currently at 2,760 runs in 46 innings, Gill and Sudharsan also need just 28 runs to surpass Kohli and Chris Gayle as the second-highest run-scoring partnership in the league. Former India batter Suresh Raina described Gill and Sudharsan as the finest batting pair in IPL history.
“In 46 innings together, they have put up 21 partnerships of 50 runs or more. The next best pair is Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, followed by AB de Villiers and Kohli in third place. This shows the quality of Gill and Sai.
“They complement each other’s game very well. What stands out is that they have reached 21 fifty-plus stands in just 46 innings – the fastest in IPL history. Gayle and Kohli took 59 innings to get there, while ABD and Kohli needed 76 innings,” he said.
On their consistency, Raina added, “The consistency of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan as an opening pair is remarkable. They take time to build their innings, keep dot balls to a minimum, and complement each other’s game perfectly. They pick the right bowlers to target.
“One uses the pace of the bowler, while the other uses the angle to create room for his shots. Both are extremely fit, and their game awareness stands out. They know which shots to play and when to attack. The biggest strength is how consistently they score runs. No other batting pair in the IPL this season has matched their level of consistency.”
“But when the powerplay ends, you suddenly notice they’ve already put 60 on the board. That’s their class. They play according to their strengths and according to the nature of the pitch,” he added.
Article Source: IANS
