'Didn't build momentum,' Gill refelcts on IPL final defeat
What's the story
Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill expressed disappointment over his team's IPL 2026 final loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The match, held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, saw RCB chase down a target of 156 runs with relative ease. Gill admitted that his team failed to build momentum in the first innings and couldn't capitalize on early opportunities during RCB's innings.
Momentum shift
Gill on GT's batting effort
Gill acknowledged that losing early wickets in the first innings hampered their momentum. He said, "If we'd have gotten 180-190, it'd have been a good match." The Titans were restricted to a total of 155 runs after being stifled by RCB's disciplined bowling attack. Despite defending a low score, Gill felt they could have put up a tighter fight if they had managed early breakthroughs during RCB's innings.
Innings
How GT's innings panned out
Batting first in the game, GT were off to a terrible start as both Gill and Sai Sudharsan departed in the powerplay, while Rasikh Salam Dar removed Nishant Sindhu. Rescuing GT, half-centurion Washington Sundar added brief stands with Jos Buttler, Arshad Khan, and Rahul Tewatia. His 27-run partnership with Jason Holder took GT from 115/6 to 155/8. Rasikh took three wickets, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood sharing four.
Future focus
Proud of my team's performance: Gill
Despite the loss, Gill was proud of his team's resilience throughout the tournament. He said, "We were one of the best bowling sides. We came back strong after losing the first two games." The Titans finished second in the league stage, lost to RCB in Qualifier 1 and then defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in Qualifier 2. However, they lost to RCB in the final.
Information
Over 700 runs for Gill in the season
Gill managed an 8-ball 10 in the final to end up with 732 runs from 16 matches at 45.75. He slammed one hundred and 6 fifties. He finished as the second-highest run-getter of the season, only behind Rajasthan Royals sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who clocked 776 runs.