His Fifty Goes in Vain, but Gujarat Titans Player Strengthens His Case for IPL 2026 Retention With a Fighting Knock

Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford showed his batting expertise again during the third T20I between the West Indies and Pakistan in Florida. He played a quality knock under pressure, even though it went in vain because his team lost the match.

Rutherford scored 51 runs in just 35 balls, including four boundaries and three maximums, at a strike rate of 145.71. 66.66% of his runs came via fours and sixes, and the southpaw scored 28.97% of the team’s runs alone.

When he came to the crease, the West Indies were 74/2 and needed a batter to take the innings forward at an adequate rate, and Rutherford did precisely that. He formed a crucial 36-run stand with Alick Athanaze for the third wicket, and while the latter got out, Rutherford kept batting.

However, the West Indies lost the momentum after the 16th over and couldn’t score at the required rate, allowing Pakistan to build pressure before the team eventually crumbled. Rutherford departed in the final over after a fighting fifty, but he would have liked to contribute more and take his team over the line.

Gujarat Titans will likely retain Sherfane Rutherford ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Sherfane Rutherford joined the Gujarat Titans for INR 2.60 crores in the IPL 2025 auction and did a decent job with the willow in IPL 2025. He scored 291 runs at an average of 32.33 and a 157.29 strike rate in 11 innings, including a best of 46.

He mostly batted at No.4 or 5, below that solid top three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler, who did the heavy lifting with the willow. Still, Rutherford was fine with the willow and has performed well even outside IPL, which will boost his chances of getting retained ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

If we look at the team’s structure, GT don’t have many quality batters after the top three, and Rutherford can become a permanent member in the middle order, given that he will only improve from here on. Then, he is not costing a big sum either and will fetch a lot more in the next auction if released.

Hence, GT should directly retain him and hand him a permanent slot to adapt quickly to the role. There’s also some bowling value, which GT didn’t use last season, but can be handy on helpful decks, especially at home.

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