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Former India batters Sanjay Bangar and Ambati Rayudu have praised Shubman Gill’s leadership of the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. With Gill at the helm, GT are currently on top of the points table with 8 wins in 12 matches.
They have one foot in the playoffs already, and if it ever came to that, the second-best net run rate in the league. GT’s rise to the top of the table has come on the back of their five consecutive wins in the league. In fact, the five teams that GT beat in this run are currently in positions two through six on the points table.
GT beat SRH by 82 runs
On Tuesday in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Titans made perfect use of the conditions tailor-made to help fast bowling. Gujarat batted first, and all the movement on offer was more than welcomed by the SRH bowlers. Pat Cummins, Praful Hinge, and Sakib Hussain made it difficult for GT batters to put away, but Sai Sudharsan held the fort.
Despite an early collapse, Sudharsan made 61 as he got some vital partnerships with Nishant Sindhu and Washington Sundar. Sundar started slowly but completed his own fifty in the last over. GT got 168, but it was enough.
Mohammed Siraj dismissed Travis Head for a duck in the first over. Kagiso Rabada earned the player of the match award for taking three wickets in the power play. By the end of the power play, SRH had too many runs and not enough wickets to chase down.
Jason Holder matched Rabada’s tally of three wickets, and Prasidh Krishna also joined in with two wickets of his own. Rashid Khan completed the formalities to bowl out SRH for 86, and give GT an 82-run win.
He’s becoming an accomplished leader- Rayudu on Shubman Gill
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the game, Ambati Rayudu and Sanjay Bangar said that Shubman Gill was slowly and steadily growing as a captain and was looking more settled with his thought processes.
“He looks so sorted and settled as a captain, [compared] to what we have seen in the first season that he has led [2024]. So, he is now becoming an accomplished leader. Slowly, but steadily, he is getting up there,” Rayudu said.
I think he’s doing a good job- Sanjay Bangar on Shubman Gill
Sanjay Bangar, too, offered his thoughts on Shubman Gill’s captaincy. He praised Gill for trusting his fast bowlers on a helpful surface and using only five balls of spin after the match was basically done.
“The parameter [for judging] generally is how a captain handles spin. And that is something that was a point of discussion when he captained India in a couple of Test matches in England as well. There have been occasions wherein he has shown greater faith in the faster bowlers than the spinners.”
“And once you have the calibre of Rashid Khan, at times he’s been underbowled, but having a lineup of five fast bowlers, and if they are doing well and if they’re successful, why do we want to unnecessarily disturb the pattern of play? So, I think he’s doing a pretty good job. At times, not using the spinner can also be a good strategy,” Bangar concluded.
Also Read: Shubman Gill brutally trolls Abhishek Sharma and SRH with ‘Dil abhi bhi sache’ post after GT’s win
