They will hope to reemerge as title contenders this year.
Gujarat Titans (GT) will be eager to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as one of the major contenders in the 2025 season. GT were led by Shubman Gill in IPL 2024 and they had a far-from-fruitful campaign, finishing in eighth place with 12 points.
Apart from Gill, the 2022 IPL champions retained Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan. At the IPL 2025 mega auction last year, Gujarat Titans acquired top stars like Kagiso Rabada, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Gerald Coetzee, and Washington Sundar among a few others.
What are the key starting XI decisions the Gujarat Titans have to make ahead of IPL 2025? We take a look:
With only four overseas stars in the playing XI, this means South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee may not find a place in the first-choice playing XI. As far as overseas players are concerned, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, and Kagiso Rabada are the certainties. Glenn Phillips, who was acquired for INR 2 crore, could be the fourth overseas player.
Add to the fact that Phillips strengthens Gujarat Titans’ middle-order batting, where GT have often relied on the likes of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia in the past. Also, his fielding exploits for New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy will not be forgotten that easily.
R Sai Kishore has been part of the squad for a while and Anuj Rawat is a valuable addition who can bolster the team’s batting. Mahipal Lomror is also another good option for an impact player as he provides depth to the batting lineup.
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Should GT go with a two-man pace attack in the original playing XI and need an extra pacer if they are defending in a game, Prasidh Krishna can also be considered. Ishant Sharma is also another option but his inconsistent form might be a concern.
We have seen in the past what England’s Jos Buttler can do as an opener in the IPL. it shouldn’t come as a surprise if he opens with the skipper. This will mean that Sai Sudharsan bat at No.3 and someone like Glenn Phillips bat at No.4. Notably, Sai scored a century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last year while opening for Gujarat Titans. This means, GT might as well keep several combinations open.
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