Daijiworld Media Network – Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, May 25: A day after being named India’s youngest Test captain since Sachin Tendulkar, Shubman Gill finds himself leading a Gujarat Titans (GT) side in crisis, with back-to-back crushing home defeats casting a shadow over their IPL 2025 title hopes.
Having topped the league for most of the season, Titans are now staring at a potential fourth-place finish after a heavy 83-run loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
That, combined with a 33-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants, and an earlier high-scoring defeat to Delhi Capitals, has severely dented their net run rate, now the worst among the top four at 0.254.
Gill admitted the Titans lost control early in the CSK match. “I think the game pretty much went away from us in the Powerplay. Chasing 230 is always tricky. We gave in to pressure,” he said.
CSK posted a mammoth 230/6, thanks to power-packed cameos by Ayush Mhatre (34 off 17), Urvil Patel (37 off 19), and Dewald Brevis (57 off 23). The assault began in the second over, when Mhatre clobbered Arshad Khan for 28 runs. Despite early wickets, CSK never lost momentum, with Devon Conway anchoring the innings and Brevis going ballistic in the death overs—eight of his nine boundaries came after the 15th over.
Among GT’s bowlers, only Prasidh Krishna showed some resistance, conceding at just 5.5 an over, while even Rashid Khan was taken apart for 42 runs.
“We’re lacking in controlling runs in the middle overs,” Gill admitted. “That’s where we’ve struggled in the last two games.”
In reply, Titans stumbled early in the chase. Gill fell after a quick start, followed by Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford, leaving them three down in the Powerplay—a rarity this season. Sai Sudharsan fought valiantly with 41 off 28 balls, but the collapse resumed with his and Shahrukh Khan’s wickets, reducing Titans to 86/5 by the 11th over.
With the playoffs already secured, GT now face a much tougher road to the final, likely missing out on the advantage of two playoff chances. As pressure mounts, all eyes will be on Shubman Gill—the young leader now tasked with inspiring a dramatic turnaround to keep their title hopes alive.