Mumbai: In T20 cricket, the importance of an in-form opening pair can’t be overemphasised. It is where matches are being won and lost in IPL 2026. Teams with batters firing at the top have dominated. Six of the top seven run-getters in IPL are openers.
The focus is mainly on their strike-rates. It’s the reason for the buzz around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He sits in the sixth place with 440 runs. With a strike-rate of 236.55, the 15-year-old has caught the imagination of the cricket world with the fearless brand of cricket he plays.
Amid all the hype surrounding the teenage talent, there are some other deserving performances that have virtually gone unnoticed.
Like the Gujarat Titans pair of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill. Their batting approach contrasts with the slam-bang version, but it is again proving mighty effective.
It all depends on what the team’s management considers best suited to the needs of their outfit. At GT, the emphasis is on openers in the mould of Gill and Sudharsan, who are scoring at strike-rates of 158 and 155 but are really consistent, having scored 467 and 501 runs, respectively.
Titans’ gameplan is backed by the results. Since making their debut in 2022, they are the most consistent side in IPL with heavy contribution from their two openers. GT won the title on debut, were runners-up in their second season, and made the playoffs last season. On Tuesday, they went to the top of the IPL table after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad and taking their tally to 16 points. It’s an enviable record.
India chances
Going for shots from ball one is the template for international cricket too, as seen in the recent ICC T20 World Cup that India won. However, it keeps changing with the conditions and the approach the team wants to adopt. In the India team at the moment they want players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, which makes Sooryavanshi the front-runner for selection whenever an opening slot opens up.
Where does this leave players like Sudharsan? With the sheer volume of runs he has scored, he has made an equally strong case to get into the T20I side. He was the proud wearer of the Orange Cap last season after topping the run charts with 759 runs. And he is again the top run-getter among Indian batters, and second overall.
On featherbeds in the subcontinent, the power-hitters thrive at the top order. However, where there is help for the bowlers, players like Sudharsan fit in better. The left-handed batter provided an example of it on Tuesday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
A consistent performer for GT, his 61 against SRH was his third half-century on the trot, and fifth overall to go with one century. During the innings, he became the first batter to cross the 500-run mark this season (he was joined by SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen later in the match).
The reason for the GT openers’ consistency is their risk-free batting. At the same time, opponents are unable to put them under pressure as the two stylish batters have strong basics with the ability to score off the good balls as well.
On Tuesday, Ahmedabad served up one of the most seam-friendly pitches of the season. The surface demanded application by the batters, and Sudharsan mapped the conditions early, bided his time and stuck to his natural batting style to help his team get to a respectable total of 168 after a dismal start. That GT had the slowest Powerplay score (34/2 in 6 overs) was an indicator of the degree of challenge. The total proved to be more than enough as Gill’s team won by 82 runs.
The success of GT’s opening pair makes for an interesting debate over the more effective way of handling the Powerplay period when only two fielders are allowed outside the circle.
Addressing the topic ahead of IPL 2026, Sudharsan said being versatile is the key. “We have to be equipped enough, or we have to be prepared enough to do that…So, how can we align things towards our strengths, and how can we still not compromise on that? At the same time, do what the team requires. I think being versatile is the right thing to say,” Sudharsan said.
He knows breaking into the India T20I side is not going to be easy. Apart from the intense competition for the opening spot, there is a case of Gill being unable to grab his opportunity last season. But Gill made the mistake of trying to play the slam bang brand of cricket, instead of sticking to his approach at GT. In demanding conditions which test technique, the two will always be more effective.