IPL 2026: How Gujarat Titans' season panned out
What's the story
Gujarat Titans (GT) finished as the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) runners-up, losing the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). They managed just 155/8 before losing by five wickets at their home venue, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Despite their strong performance throughout the season and a direct entry into Qualifier 1, GT failed to capitalize on familiar conditions in the title clash.
Season highlights
GT's journey in IPL 2026
Despite a shaky start with losses to Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), GT bounced back with three successive wins. Boasting the most fearsome pace attack in IPL 2026, they even won five matches on the trot. Overall, GT finished second with nine wins in 14 league games (NRR: +0.695). GT lost to RCB in Qualifier 1 before defeating RR in the second.
Batting analysis
GT's top three do heavy lifting
GT's batting was heavily dependent on Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, who recorded several 50-plus opening stands throughout the tournament. Gill finished as this season's second-highest run-scorer, having smashed 732 runs at 45.75. His strike rate was 163.03. Sudharsan was just behind Gill with 722 runs at 45.12. Even he had a strike rate of 155-plus (157.99). And despite being out of touch, Jos Buttler also contributed significantly, scoring 526 runs with a strike rate of 152.46.
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Middle-order muddle
GT's strength in the batting department was also their weakness. The bowlers only needed to disarray the top three to inflict a collapse. The middle order featuring Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, and Nishant Sindhu struggled for consistency, though there were some fine cameos.
Bowling
Rabada, Siraj, Holder add fire to bowling attack
As mentioned, GT had the best bowling line-up in IPL 2026, including Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, and Jason Holder. Rabada won the Purple Cap, taking 29 wickets at 21.59. Together, Rabada and Siraj decimated several top orders in the Powerplay. Even Prasidh Krishna took 16 wickets at 25.43. And Holder was among the most valuable picks. He took 17 wickets from just 11 games, besides playing a few fine cameos
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Second side with this feat
According to Cricbuzz, GT are the second side after Kolkata Knight Riders (in 2024) to feature five different bowlers with 15-plus wickets in a season.