Orange Cap + Purple Cap Holders

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Gujarat Titans IPL 2026

Full Squad, Predicted XI & Season Preview

Last updated: 20 March 2026 · By CricketPrediction.com

Gujarat Titans own the two most dominant individual performances from IPL 2025. Sai Sudharsan (759 runs at average 54.21, Orange Cap) and Prasidh Krishna (25 wickets at economy 8.27, Purple Cap) give GT proven match-winners at the top of both batting and bowling charts. Captain Shubman Gill adds 650 runs at a strike rate of 155.88, and Jos Buttler contributed 538 runs at 163.03 SR. The trade for Jason Holder fills a genuine gap. GT lacked a pace-bowling all-rounder who could bat at 7 and bowl 4 overs at the death.

The shadow over this squad is Rashid Khan. His worst-ever IPL season (9 wickets in 15 matches, economy 9.35, 33 sixes conceded, the most in IPL history for a single season) raised questions about his future. At 27 and post-back surgery, the decline might not reverse. If Rashid bounces back, GT are title contenders. If he continues to leak runs, their middle-overs control collapses and other teams will attack that weakness relentlessly.

Key Players

Sai Sudharsan (₹8.5 Cr, retained — Orange Cap 2025)

The numbers speak for themselves: 759 runs in 15 matches, average 54.21, strike rate 156.17. One century (108* off 61 balls vs Delhi Capitals) and six fifties. Sudharsan batted through entire innings and still maintained a 150+ strike rate, the mark of a batter who has solved T20 batting. He was the youngest player to score 700+ runs in an IPL season. At 24, he is entering his prime. Opponents will study him harder in 2026, but his technique against pace (88 fours) and ability to clear boundaries (21 sixes) make him difficult to contain.

Shubman Gill (₹16.5 Cr, retained — Captain)

Gill’s 650 runs at an average of 50 and strike rate of 155.88 represented a significant improvement on his injury-disrupted 2024 (426 runs, avg 38.73). Six fifties included 76 off 38 balls (vs SRH), 90 off 55 (vs KKR), and 60 off 38 (vs LSG). Gill reached 2,000 career IPL runs for GT during the season. The 26-year-old must now deliver consistently for a full 14-match season. His 2024 injury cost GT their middle phase.

Prasidh Krishna (₹9.5 Cr, retained — Purple Cap 2025)

25 wickets in 15 matches, average 19.52, economy 8.27. Best figures: 4/41 vs Delhi Capitals. Prasidh’s 6’2” frame generates steep bounce that batters on Indian pitches find difficult to counter. At Narendra Modi Stadium, where the pitch offers extra carry, his numbers become even more imposing. He bowled through middle overs and death overs for GT, a workload that suggests high fitness.

Jos Buttler (₹15.75 Cr, retained)

538 runs in 14 matches, average 59.78, strike rate 163.03. Five fifties, with a highest of 97* vs Delhi Capitals. Buttler provides explosive power at the top of the order. His strike rate was the highest among GT’s top 4 batters. The concern: he departed IPL 2025 early (missed the Eliminator due to international commitments) and at 35, workload management will be a factor.

Rashid Khan (₹18 Cr, retained)

GT’s most expensive player delivered his worst-ever season. 9 wickets in 15 matches. Economy 9.35 (career: 7.09). Average 57.11 (career: 23.84). He conceded 33 sixes, the most by any bowler in a single IPL season. Post-back surgery, his action showed a closed front hand and poor lengths. Three consecutive seasons of decline (2023: 8.24, 2024: 8.40, 2025: 9.35) suggest this is a trend, not a blip. At ₹18 crore, GT are paying for prime Rashid and getting a shadow of him.

Mohammed Siraj (₹12.25 Cr, retained)

Siraj reached 100 IPL career wickets in 2025, including a devastating 4/17 vs SRH. His powerplay bowling was lethal: 6 of his 9 wickets came in the first 6 overs, the most by any bowler in that phase early in the tournament. However, his overall economy of 9.25 in 2025 and a career economy of 8.74 are not cheap. Siraj is a strike bowler, not an economy bowler.

Jason Holder (₹7 Cr, auction — NEW)

The missing piece. Holder’s 363 T20 career wickets (economy 8.32) and lower-order batting (strike rate 129-149 in recent years) give GT the pace-bowling all-rounder they lacked. He bats at 7 or 8, bowls 4 overs across powerplay and death, and brings experience from 10+ T20 leagues worldwide. His death-overs economy across his T20 career is strong. Holder has 46 IPL matches and 53 wickets across CSK, SRH, KKR, LSG, and RR, so he knows Indian conditions well. The question is whether he can be the consistent 4-over-per-match bowler GT need at 37.

Strengths

The batting depth is the best in the tournament. Gill (650 runs), Sudharsan (759 runs), and Buttler (538 runs) combine for 1,947 runs from 2025, the most productive top 3 in the IPL. Even if one fails, two others can carry the innings. No other team has three batters who averaged 50+ last season.

Prasidh Krishna’s bounce is a genuine weapon. Ahmedabad produces the most bounce-friendly pitch in India, and Prasidh exploits it. His 25 wickets were earned with skill, not luck. His length control and ability to hit the seam were consistently good. With Siraj (pace) and Holder (pace + control), GT’s seam attack is among the strongest.

Narendra Modi Stadium is their fortress. Average first-innings score of 180+. The pitch rewards genuine pace, seam, and bounce, all strengths GT’s bowlers possess. The 132,000-seat capacity creates an atmosphere that visiting teams struggle against.

Jason Holder fixes the balance. In 2025, GT relied on Washington Sundar as their primary all-rounder. Holder is an upgrade in both bowling (genuine pace vs Sundar’s off-spin) and death-overs batting. This allows GT to play an extra specialist where needed.

Weaknesses

Rashid Khan’s decline could be terminal. Economy 9.35 (career: 7.09). Average 57.11 (career: 23.84). He conceded 33 sixes. Opponents decoded him using sweep shots and reverse-sweeps. Three consecutive seasons above 8.2 economy after years of being one of the most economical spinners in the league suggest the decline is structural, not a form dip. If Rashid cannot evolve, GT’s middle-overs control, historically their greatest strength, collapses.

Kagiso Rabada is unreliable. Rabada played only 2 matches in IPL 2025 (economy 11.57) before departing for personal reasons. He went for 41 and 42 in his two matches. At ₹10.75 crore, GT need 14 matches and 20+ wickets, not 2 matches and 2 wickets. If Rabada departs mid-tournament again, GT lose an overseas slot’s worth of planning.

Away record needs serious improvement. GT’s power-hitting approach thrives at Ahmedabad’s bouncy, true pitch. On slower surfaces like Chennai (Chepauk) or turning wickets like Kolkata (Eden Gardens), their batters produce 150 instead of 200. Title contenders must win everywhere, not just at home.

Gill’s injury history is a risk factor. His 2024 season was disrupted by injury (264 runs in 8 matches, avg 38.73 compared to 2023’s 890 runs in 17 matches, avg 59.33). One injury to Gill and GT lose their captain, best all-format batter, and tactical leader simultaneously.

Full Squad (25 Players)

Predicted XI

Overseas slots (3/4): Buttler, Holder, Rashid Khan. This leaves one overseas slot open. Kagiso Rabada or Glenn Phillips are the leading candidates. Rabada adds pace depth; Phillips adds batting flexibility and off-spin. On bouncy Ahmedabad pitches, Rabada is likely preferred. On turning surfaces, Phillips offers more utility.

The Holder-Rashid axis is the X-factor. If both bowl at their best (Holder: economy 8.32 career, Rashid: economy 7.09 career), GT have 8 overs of world-class bowling from two all-rounders. If Rashid continues at 9.35 economy, Holder’s 4 overs alone cannot compensate.

Alternative XIs: If Rabada is unavailable (as happened in 2025), GT can play Glenn Phillips + Tom Banton (replacing Buttler on rest days). If the pitch turns, Manav Suthar or Jayant Yadav can replace a pacer.

Coaching Staff

The most significant additions are Matthew Hayden and Vijay Dahiya. Hayden (former Australia opener, 8,625 Test runs) brings elite batting mentorship. He could be the person who helps Gill and Sudharsan handle the pressure of being star batters. Dahiya won a title with KKR as assistant coach and adds tactical depth to Nehra’s setup. Matthew Wade (former Australia wicket-keeper) coaches the WK department that includes Buttler, Banton, Rawat, and Kushagra.

Schedule (Phase 1)

Opening match context: GT open away at Mullanpur against PBKS on March 31. This is a new stadium for GT, a surface they have not played on. The first home match on April 4 against RR at Ahmedabad is where GT will want to set the tone. Three of the first 4 matches are away, making a strong start critical.

Title History

GT are the only franchise to win the IPL in their debut season (2022). Hardik Pandya captained the title-winning squad with 3/17 and 34 runs in the final. The 2023 runners-up finish (Sudharsan scored 96 in the final that was eventually decided by DLS) showed consistency. 2024 was a disaster (last place), but 2025’s 3rd-place finish suggests the squad has bounced back. The pattern: GT’s ceiling is a title; their floor is last place. There is no middle ground.

Season Prediction

Our prediction: 3rd-4th place (playoff team, dark horse for the title).

GT’s batting is the strongest in the tournament. Three batters who averaged 50+ in 2025 is a luxury no other team possesses. Prasidh Krishna’s 25 wickets and Jason Holder’s all-round ability add genuine bowling depth. If Nehra and Hayden can get the best out of this talent, GT have the ceiling of champions.

The risk is concentrated in two players: Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada. Rashid’s economy is the single best predictor of GT’s season (see Key Betting Insight above). Rabada’s reliability is unproven at GT. If both perform, GT win the tournament. If both underperform, GT have the same collapse-prone bowling that cost them in 2024.

The most likely outcome is that GT’s batting carries them to the playoffs (Gill, Sudharsan, Buttler are too consistent to miss out), but their bowling inconsistency prevents a title unless Rashid rediscovers his prime form. A Qualifier/Eliminator exit is the base case. A title is the upside if everything clicks.

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