New season can bring fresh optimism for the Shubman Gill-led side
Gujarat Titans were the most impressive new additions to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they clinched the title in style in their debut season itself and reached the final in their second outing. The inspirational leadership of Hardik Pandya combined with collective efforts across all departments made them a juggernaut in the league which had been dominated for long by Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
However, the Pandya being lured back to MI in the 2024 season saw their form plummet in dramatic fashion as they finished eighth in the table with just 12 points from 14 matches. However, it wasn’t just Pandya’s exit or Shubman Gill being thrust into the captaincy role that took them out of the playoffs race long before their final league match. However, a new season brings new energy and fresh optimism.
We look at three factors that could decide GT’s performance in IPL 2025.
Rashid Khan has been in the form of his life ahead of the new season as he claimed 23 wickets in the three-format series against Zimbabwe which Afghanistan won. However, one of the things to notice is that the star legspinner has been cautious not to bowl unless the situation demanded it.
For the first time in his IPL career Rashid went three games in a row without a wicket last season and it heavily affected GT’s middle overs bowling. They were the worst in that phase with only 24 wickets for the entire season with a strike rate of 24 which was half from the haul of 52 wickets in IPL 2023 where they struck every 17 balls.
Also Read: What Gujarat Titans’ Top 7 Might Look Like in IPL 2025
The likes of R Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar will be key to provide assistance to Rashid, but with both being left-arm finger spinners, Gujarat will have to rely on the likes of Rahul Tewatia to be an attacking outlet as well.
Shubman Gill was the obvious choice to be named after Pandya’s exit, but with every game it became clearer that his prowess as a batter never translated into commanding the dressing room.
His batting numbers also dipped as a result. The Punjab lad went from his Orange Cap winning tally of 890 runs in 2023 to just 426 runs in 2024. There were no flying starts as he scored 148 runs from 12 innings which further put pressure on the likes of David Miller and Tewatia who were going through rough patches of their own.
To add to Gill’s woes, he has been under heavy fire over the last few weeks for his poor performances in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, with the likes of Kris Srikkanth calling him an “overrated cricketer”. However, there is still time for IPL 2025 and it will be up to GT’s management to give Gill the encouragement he needs.
In terms of recruitment for the new season, GT has done fairly well despite sacrificing the core of their previous three editions. Having Jos Buttler in your ranks inspires belief. The England white-ball captain’s reputation as a berserker, specifically in the IPL, is well known. Buttler has crossed over 300 runs whenever he was available for the entire tournament and has always batted at a strike rate of 150-plus.
The arrival of three frontline pacers – Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna should calm nerves during powerplay and death overs. Though its not exactly having Mohammed Shami in the powerplay and Mohit Sharma at the death, the new trio have the know-hows of a tournament like the IPL.
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