Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, have witnessed a massive transformation in the 2026 Indian Premier League season. After a shaky start with back-to-back defeats, GT have now won five consecutive matches against teams placed in the top half of the table.
The impressive turnaround has lifted them to the top of the table with 16 points, putting one foot firmly in the playoffs following their latest thumping, an 82-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 12.
On an evening where the pitch appeared challenging for batters, unlike the flat track norm often seen these days, GT still managed to post a competitive 168 despite early dismissals. Major contributions came from their in-form batter Sai Sudharsan, who anchored the innings with 61 off 44 balls, while Washington Sundar delivered a crucial middle-order contribution with a blistering half-century.
GT’s bowling unit complemented the batting effort brilliantly, making the best use of the conditions to dismantle an explosive SRH batting lineup featuring the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. SRH were bowled out for just 86 within 15 overs of the second innings, which also became the franchise’s lowest ever total in IPL history.
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth analysed GT’s dominance this season, especially after the manner in which they dismantled the Pat Cummins-led SRH. Srikkanth applauded the GT management for getting the best out of the players available, despite not having a lineup considered as star-studded as those of some other franchises.
He particularly highlighted the growing importance of Mohammed Siraj to this GT side, after he often went under the radar or struggled with inconsistency during his long stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Srikkanth also added that not many teams would have backed Sudharsan in T20 cricket because of his elegant style of batting, but GT have transformed him into a dangerous T20 opener while still allowing him to maintain his natural game.
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One of the biggest changes for GT this season has also been the promotion of Sundar at No. 4. Once mainly seen as a bowling all-rounder, Sundar has now become a reliable contributor with the bat in the middle-order.
“Siraj was terrible with RCB. But here, he has become a deadly bowler. Similarly, no other team would have even taken Sai Sudarshan. Yet, GT have transformed him to a different level. He has made Washington Sundar score at No.4 and turned him into a batting allrounder,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Srikkanth’s remarks carry weight, as Siraj has become a crucial powerplay and death over bowler for the Gill-led side after being acquired for INR 12.25 crore ahead of the 2025 season. The pacer has already picked up 13 wickets this season after a stellar 16-wicket debut campaign for GT in 2025. His stint with RCB was particularly inconsistent, with his best return being a 19-wicket season in 2023. His economy rate of around 8.22 has improved drastically from previous seasons, something that was evident in his impressive spell of 1/11 in 3 overs against SRH, which also included a maiden over, a rare sight in modern T20 cricket.
Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, has turned out to be a massive steal for GT after being bought for just INR 20 lakh in the 2022 mega auction. He has since become one of the franchise’s key players with three consecutive 500+ run campaigns, including 501 runs in just 12 matches this season after his career-best 759-run Orange Cap-winning campaign in IPL 2025.
As Srikkanth highlighted, Sundar’s contribution also deserves recognition. The all-rounder has stepped up significantly with the bat, already scoring 296 runs, including two half-centuries, making it his best batting season in the IPL since his debut in 2017.
For GT, who have qualified for the playoffs in every season since their inception in 2022, and won their maiden title under Hardik Pandya that same year, the focus will now be on capitalising on their strong position after registering 8 wins this season and pushing for another championship.