In the coming days, India’s selectors will sit down to chalk a new path for the T20 team. The main discussion point would be Suryakumar Yadav’s form, with the likes of Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer breathing down his neck after a good run in the IPL. The opening duo will be another point of discussion, with multiple options emerging and making it tough to select the best player from the lot. That discussion will also have a key question to answer: Where does Shubman Gill, India’s Test and ODI captain and maker of over 600 runs in IPL 2026, stand? Having become the T20 vice-captain in August 2025, his place in the side seemed settled. Yet, inconsistent form forced the selectors to drop the axe on him for the T20 World Cup, when the squad came out in December 2025. 𝙎𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠! 🪡 🎥 Shubman Gill took on Josh Hazlewood for 2️⃣4️⃣ runs in the over during his 43 (18) 👏 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/I5Hg8ybefh#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #GTvRCB | @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/lEVVySPKaw — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2026 It was a bold and correct decision at the time. But in IPL 2026, Gill has looked a different batsman. Not many expected Gujarat Titans (GT) to make it to the Playoffs, but by being prolific with the bat, he has led from the front. Heading into the Qualifier II against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on his home ground in New Chandigarh, he has 618 runs next to him in 14 innings, with six fifties. This again isn’t new. Last season, he had 650 runs that paved the way for his inclusion in India’s Asia Cup squad. In 2023, he had 890 runs when GT made the final. In each of the last seven IPL seasons, the least he has tallied is 426. This season, Gill has looked different in one aspect. When he was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad, apart from his form, there was another concern. Sans quick hands were like some of his peers; the belief was that he wasn’t tailor-made for the format, and he had to bat out of his skin. In IPL 2026, Gill has retained his usual consistency but added flair to his batting and has not shied away from playing high-risk cricket. Despite GT being top-heavy and possessing a brittle middle-order, he has hit 30 sixes, six more than last season. In a lot of the matches, he has retained his batting elements, but gone are the days when his bat face used to close quickly at the point of contact. And more importantly, his strike-rate has increased to a career-best of 159.28 this IPL. He has ticked the boxes that the selectors and the team management asked him to, while leading admirably in the middle. Pleasing to the eye 🤩 Captain Shubman Gill looking in great touch 👌 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/p5TP9NLREX #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #GTvCSK pic.twitter.com/uo4BEFdJwJ — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 21, 2026 The competitors But, will that be enough? Others vying for the same spot have bettered him. Sai Sudharsan has 652 runs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has 680 runs. Beyond him, there is Ishan Kishan with 602 runs.Story continues below this ad Then there are the incumbents Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who have been the backbone of India’s T20 team. On Friday, and possibly on Sunday if GT get past RR, Gill has two innings to jump the queue and be in the reckoning. It could be even one, but small margins eventually decide who’s in and who’s out. Given how Indian cricket functions, if Gill ends up leading GT to their second IPL title, he may find himself in India’s T20 squad. There is reason to be optimistic and accept the reality that India’s requirements are totally different, like Shreyas Iyer found out last season. It is not all doom and gloom for Gill. There are talks in Indian cricket corridors that they prefer to have one captain who leads them across all three formats. Few teams in international cricket have different ODI and T20 captains today. So, with Suryakumar struggling for runs and selectors preferring to look beyond him for the next cycle, Gill could emerge as a candidate to replace him. Also Read | Shubman Gill is not a Virat Kohli, but he has traits that make a good captain That the next T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place Down Under means there is room to accommodate at least one player who is compact than flashy, and given his strengths as a batsman – the horizontal shots, Gill fits the bill perfectly. The era of anchors may be over, but there is still a place for batsmen with compact technique. Story continues below this ad There is still a long way to go. But having been dumped against all odds, Gill hasn’t sulked or refused to adapt. Through the course of this IPL, he has shown that his T20 batting has evolved, and on Friday will come up against a phenomenon called Sooryavanshi. Comparisons will be inevitable. But this Qualifier II could well be down to competition for one spot between the two.
Why Shubman Gill’s strong IPL 2026 has revived his India T20I hopes
