Ahmedabad, March 26: Ashish Nehra, the head coach of Gujarat Titans (GT), has stated that the middle order is not a concern for the team. He emphasized that the middle order did not underperform last season either.
During a press conference, Nehra addressed worries surrounding the middle order, asserting, “As a coach, I don’t believe the middle order was collapsing. Our top three batsmen scored heavily and often batted until the 17th or 18th over, which was a key reason for our strong position after 13-14 matches.”
Nehra noted, “The top three batsmen frequently batted until the end of the innings. The finishers had limited opportunities and often faced challenging roles in the final moments of matches. It would be incorrect to label this as a weakness.”
Thanks to the impressive performances of the top three batsmen—Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler—GT won nine out of their first twelve matches. However, they fell short in the last two league matches, leading to their exit after a loss to Mumbai Indians in the eliminator.
Nehra commented, “There’s no doubt the tournament ended disappointingly, but when your top three batsmen are scoring so many runs, the middle order naturally gets fewer balls to play. This is not an easy role. In 14 matches, it might have happened once or twice that the number 5 or 6 batsman could finish the game, but it didn’t happen. However, that’s part of the game. Whether it’s Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, or Sherfane Rutherford, they did their jobs. That’s why we reached where we did.”
The former fast bowler added, “It’s always easy to talk about finishers, but when someone comes in to bat in the 18th over needing 35 runs in two overs, it’s not simple, especially against bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer.”
In the IPL 2026 auction, GT strengthened their squad by acquiring players like Jason Holder, Tom Banton, and Luke Wood.
Under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, GT will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, on March 31 at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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