‘T20 WC snub will fire up Shubman Gill’:Test legend drops bold prediction for GT captain, lists franchise as favourites

Gujarat Titans fell short in the IPL 2025 Eliminator last season against Mumbai Indians, but they’ll eye to kick-start their 2026 campaign with a win against runner-ups Punjab Kings. The 2022 champions are being led by Shubman Gill, who suffered a snub from the T20 World Cup squad for his poor performance in the shortest format. He did not score a fifty in 18 successive T20I innings and lost his place in the team. However, former Indian Test cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara thinks that the WC setback will be enough for Gill to fuel his ambitions in the current edition of IPL. ‘T20 WC snub will fire up Gill’: Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of IPL 2026 Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan – Know Your Team’, JioStar expert Cheteshwar Pujara discussed how the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup snub could motivate Shubman Gill in the TATA IPL 2026. He said, “The T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill. He is a quality player suited for all three formats. If he has a good IPL 2026 season, he will surely put his name in India’s T20I squad.” Further heaping praise on India’s ODI captain, “He is a multi-format player. If he has a good season, he will be back in the scheme of things for the Indian team. There will be some pressure on him because he has not been part of the India squad in the shortest format.” Also Read: AI images of Yuvraj, Hardik at Golden Temple spark outrage: SGPC gears up for strict legal action for hurting Sikh sentiments He further added, “But he needs to try and accelerate a little more because that is something he has been working on. This IPL season is the perfect one for him to show he can bat at a strike rate of 150 to 160.” Cheteshwar Pujara claims the Gujarat Titans as the IPL 2026 title-contender Pujara further expanded his discussion to the IPL 2026 title contenders and listed Gujarat Titans at the top. He said, “GT look like a title favourite this season. If you look at their squad, the top order of Captain Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler is incredible. The number of all-rounders they have, especially with the addition of Jason Holder, makes them even stronger. Holder is in great form with both, bat and ball, and will love to contribute in both departments.” “Rahul Tewatia will be their main finisher. When it comes to bowling, their strength is their seamers. Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna are their main pacers, and Ishant Sharma is also on the bench if needed”, Pujara stated the reason why the Titans are the favourites this season. Sanjay Bangar on Rashid Khan’s deteriorating mystery spin JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar addressed the concerns about Rashid Khan’s mystery spin on the same show. He said, “Rashid Khan’s mystery factor fading away can be a combination of multiple factors. There is now broad familiarity among batters on how to play him. Batsmen have had enough look-ins because Rashid plays in all major franchise T20 leagues. He is a franchise king. Players all around the world get opportunities to play against him. The more you face a bowler, the more your mind starts finding methods to deal with him.” “The injury he had, he has come back from it. It may be taking a toll in terms of the pace he is bowling at”, Bangar further added. Also Read: Champions or One-season wonders: Why is RCB’s road to back-to-back titles harder than winning it the 1st time? Gujarat Titans put together a sturdy middle-order The 2022 champions went with a ₹12.90 crore purse to the IPL 2026 auction after retaining Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Mohammed Siraj, and Kagiso Rabada. Fixing their issues with the middle order, the Titans got Jason Holder (₹7 crore) and Tom Banton (₹2 crore) to add bowling flexibility and form a solid middle-order.