Aakash Chopra opined that the Gujarat Titans (GT) rely heavily on their top three batters – Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. The ex-India opener stated that Buttler’s indifferent form could be a cause for concern for them in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The former England captain struggled during the recently concluded T20 World Cup. He scored just 87 runs across eight games at a paltry average of 10.87. Chopra noted that Buttler struggled in good batting conditions and has to fire for the Titans in the IPL as Gill and Sudharsan won’t be able to score in every match.
“What are their weaknesses? They can be called weaknesses or challenges. A slight overdependence is still seen on the top three. It’s great if they replicate what they did last year, which means the top three together bat till the 14th or 15th over, and at least one of them should 100 percent be there till the 15th over,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“However, the truth is that Jos Buttler’s current form is very, very pedestrian. We have not seen Jos Buttler playing more ordinary than this in any World Cup edition. He was seen struggling in good conditions this time. So will that be a bit of an issue for the Gujarat Titans? You want to start with Jos Buttler, but what if the form doesn’t remain good? Both openers can’t score runs every time,” he added.
Chopra said that if the top three don’t click, it will make things difficult for the middle order. He also mentioned the importance of finding the right combination quickly, with overseas stars like Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder, and Kagiso Rabada being in the side.
“The second challenge will be that if the top three don’t do well, there will be pressure on Nos. 4 to 6, in which there could be a bigger role for Washington Sundar, and Glenn Phillips might get to play games consistently. Then Kumar Kushagra is coming with seriously good form. Then you may want to get in Jason Holder as well,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.
“If they keep Holder, they won’t be able to play Kagiso Rabada. So one of Holder and Glenn Phillips might be seen playing. The right combination needs to be found quickly. So that is one challenge they will face,” he added.
We have never seen Rashid Khan so cold: Aakash Chopra
According to Chopra, another concern for the Titans is Rashid Khan’s form. The talismanic leg-spinner has not been at his best in the last couple of seasons of the IPL. He averaged 36.70 in IPL 2024 and 57.11 last year. In his last 27 matches in the cash-rich league, the Afghanistan legend has picked up only 19 wickets.
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“Rashid Khan’s recent form. He has recovered a little lately, but I am talking about the recent IPL form. Two or three seasons have been very cold. We have never seen Rashid Khan so cold. So this could be a problem,” Chopra observed.
