Shubman Gill faces captaincy litmus test as Gujarat Titans bid to return to the playoffs for the first time under his leadership. After back-to-back runs to final in their first two seasons under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, including the title-winning campaign in 2022, GT received a reality check under a young captain in Gill, finishing 8th last season. Despite Jos Buttler also part of the franchise for IPL 2025, GT made it clear they are looking into the future with Gill, who has been touted as the next big thing in world cricket.
The 2022 champions picked up the likes of Jos Buttler (Rs 15.75 crore), Mohammed Siraj (Rs 12.25 crore), and Kagiso Rabada (Rs 10.75 crore) as their marquee signings. They had also retained the likes of Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan.
Strengths: GT have some top-of-the-shelf bowlers such as Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Ishant Sharma and Gerald Coetzee in their ranks, which will ease pressure off Mohammed Siraj's shoulders. The big pool of all-rounders makes them one of the most balanced sides in the tournament.
Weaknesses: While there are plenty of all-rounders in the team, not many of them can bat in the top order. In that case, the pressure will mainly rest upon the shoulders of captain Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Sai Sudharsan.
Opportunities: Glenn Phillips has always impressed on the international stage, but has seen little to no game time when it comes to the IPL. With David Miller no longer part of the set up at GT, this could be a make or break campaign for the flying Kiwi.
Mohammed Siraj will also have to fill the big shoes of Mohammed Shami, who has joined SunRisers Hyderabad. Washington Sundar, too, has the chance to cement his place in India's T20I team through a solid season at GT.
Threats: After Hardik's return to Mumbai Indians, GT have lacked a quality fast-bowling all-rounder. Last season they had Afghan trailblazer Azmatullah Omarzai, but he was not retained by the franchise and will be playing for Punjab Kings this season. This void might hamper their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Also, GT success will depend on how thier top-order batters perform this season, making it a catch-22 situation.
Gujarat Titans Strongest Playing XI: Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Players: Ishant Sharma, M Shahrukh Khan, Anuj Rawat