Gujarat Titans ne IPL 2026 ka playbook hi badal diya hai. T20 cricket mein jo sixes ka craze hota hai, usko reject karke unhone methodical accumulation ka approach apnaya hai. Openers Shubman Gill aur B Sai Sudharsan ne is strategy ko carry kiya hai. In dono ne tournament mein 616 aur 638 runs banaye hain, jo ki sabse zyada runs mein shamil hain. Powerplay mein unka strike rate 151.09 hai, jo ki league mein seventh highest hai. Sabse important baat, unki partnership ka average 58 runs hai – ye sabse best hai. Powerplay ke pehle 6 overs mein unhone sirf 31 sixes hi maare hain, jo ki second lowest hai.
Is strategy ke peeche hai Gujarat ke head coach Ashish Nehra ka dimag. Unhone top order ki strengths ko pehle rakhne par zyada focus kiya, unhe forced nahi kiya. “Hum middle order ke baare mein jaante the,” Nehra ne kaha. “Wo fireworks nahi de sakte the. Isliye top three ko hi kaam karna tha. Lekin hum unse kuch aur karne ko nahi kah sakte the.” Is philosophy ki wajah se Gujarat hi ek team hai jo powerplay mein average 50+ runs kar rahi hai, jabki league ka average 10.47 runs per over hai.
Bowling unit mein Kagiso Rabada aur Mohammed Siraj ne Test-match jaisi length aur movement se opposition ko dabochha hai. Rabada ne is season mein powerplay mein hi 17 wickets liye hain (total 24). Unki fuller lengths, tighter lines aur bounce extract karne ki ability ne batsmen ko rhythm hi nahi milne diya. Teams ko pace aur yorkers ki ummed thi, lekin unko discipline se bhari seam bowling ka samna karna pada, jisse boundaries aur strike rotation bhi limited ho gayi. Rabada ke short-ball tactics ne Virat Kohli aur Urvil Patel jaise key batsmen ko out kiya hai. Gujarat ne Rabada ke powerplay mein hi 6 overs mein se 3 overs use kar liye hain.
Mohammed Siraj ne bhi support role play kiya hai, powerplay mein 13 wickets liye hain. In dono ki combined pressure se opposition teams ka score control mein raha, unki aggressive chases bhi limited ho gayi. Even agar Gujarat ko off day bhi mila, unhone total ko control mein hi rakha hai – 14 matches mein sirf 2 baar hi unka bowling side out of the game raha.
Middle-order ne minimal lekin effective role play kiya hai. Death overs mein unka strike rate sirf 158.41 hai – ye sabse lowest hai league mein. Ye deliberate choice tha, kyunki game pehle se hi control mein hota tha, risky shots avoid kiye gaye.
Gujarat ka ye unorthodox approach successful raha hai: 14 matches mein 9 wins aur top two finish. Dharamsala mein Qualifier 1 se pehle RCB ke against head-to-head record 1-1 hai. Jab Rabada Tuesday ko new ball se run karenge, toh wo same Test-style angle aur seam movement le aayenge jo is season mein 16 teams ko trouble kar chuka hai. RCB ye dekh sakta hai ki kya wo adapt kar payega ya nahi, yehi decide karega ki kaun final mein jayega.
