Gujarat Titans (GT) will enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season with their successful opening pair. Skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will be the GT opener batsmen in IPL 2026, and will look to continue their sublime run this time as well. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler also played an important role at No. 3 for the Titans last year, and his run-scoring will be crucial for the side.
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Although, the top 3 scored over 70% of runs in the last edition, the presence of experienced middle-order will only help the side. The likes of Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia will be fueling the side’s engine in the middle-order. Let’s take a look at why Gill and Sudharsan are an automatic choice as GT opening pair ahead of the 2026 season.
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Reasons Behind Retention of GT Opening Pair
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan delivered supreme performances in the 2025 edition for the Titans. With technical brilliance and the ability to score runs in a traditional manner, both players were influential in GT posting big scores on the board. The duo looked flawless in most games and persisted with their natural playing style to maximize the powerplay. They pressed the gas when needed and were calculative with their aerial shots. The key speciality behind their run-scoring was them finding gaps to secure boundaries easily, especially against the spinners.
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Gill and Sudharsan garnered 912 runs in 15 innings together at an average of 65.14, with three 100+run stands. They stitched their biggest stand of 205 runs against Delhi Capitals to help the side in sealing the chase easily. The efforts of the duo eventually helped the Titans to finish third in the league stage with nine wins in 14 games and reach the playoffs. Although, the Titans lost the Eliminator, Sai-Su rose to third place among the pair to score the most runs in a single IPL season.
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Sai Sudharsan amassed 759 runs at an average of 54.21, with six fifties and a hundred to emerge as the highest-scorer and clinch the Orange Cap. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill was fourth on the list with 650 runs at an average of 50, with six fifties. As a result, GT opener batsmen in IPL 2026 are fixed. Both batters, Gill and Sudharsan, have an ability to carry the bat, given their safe playing style and are a few of the rare players who are reliable even in the shortest format.
Can Sai-Su Be Rewarded with India T20I Selection After Impressive IPL 2026?
The GT opening pair of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan stand a strong chance for a national selection if they impress the selectors with their performances. The reason behind the Titans’ success in the last edition can solely be credited to Gill and Sudharsan’s brilliance. However, Sudharsan received a Test call-up for the England series after IPL 2025, and his solitary T20 appearance came in 2024. He can definitely revive his T20I career if he lights up the IPL once again with his consistent performances.
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Meanwhile, Shubman Gill made a comeback into the T20I squad ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. Interestingly, he was chosen as the vice-captain and was looked upon as the captain for all formats in the future, given he is already leading the ODI and Test sides.
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However, Gill couldn’t be potent enough with his contributions to the Indian T20I side. He garnered 291 runs in 15 innings at a disappointing average of 24.25, and was dropped ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Along with lack of contributions, Gill failed to increase the team’s tempo after being fully set at the crease. He failed to convert his starts into a big knock and suffered problems of low strike rate.
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With the Indian team following an aggressive intent in the powerplay, the team management opted to drop him from the T20I squad. IPL 2026 will be crucial for him to bring himself back into the contention for the shortest format. Although, it will not be easy for him to make a comeback, but his form and strike rates will play a significant role in his comeback. It will be interesting to see whether GT opener batsmen in IPL 2026 can find a purple patch once again, which can help the side have a deeper run, and also push their T20I careers.
