IPL 2026 Auction: Gujarat Titans’ camp reflects on team’s auction strategy

The Gujarat Titans dugout must be very satisfied after their owners did a fantastic job at the Indian Premier League 2026 mini-auction, buying a few notable names to go the distance in the upcoming season of the cricketing spectacle. The Ahmedabad-based franchise will continue to be led by captain Shubman Gill, also the Indian captain in Tests and One-Day Internationals now.

Jinal Mehta, the Gujarat Titans’ chairman expressed that they came into the mini-auction with a simple aim of building a team and making minor tweaks to their core squad, which also qualified for the playoffs in the 2025 season, while their star opening batter Sai Sudharsan also won the Orange Cap for his heroics with the bat.

“We came into the auction with our core in place and we made minimal changes to our squad. We changed only five players. We came in with very specific requirements. We needed a couple of fast bowlers, an all-rounder and a middle-order batter. We’re happy with the outcome and have achieved all of our objectives. I think we have achieved what we wanted. We welcome all of these new signings and look forward to the next season,” Jinal said in an interview with the IPL.

“We have made it to the playoffs three times in the four seasons that we have played, including winning in our inaugural season and being runners-up in the second season. We’re looking forward to building on this journey with the squad that we have in place. I think we will have a great season,” he added. 

Jinal further went on to credit the GT management, where key former cricketers like Ashish Nehra (Head Coach), Vikram Solanki (Director of Cricket), Aashish Kapoor (Assistant Coach), and Parthiv Patel (Batting Coach) form part of their strong coaching staff. He says that the Gujarat dressing room identified the talent of Gill and made him their captain in 2024, from where he went on to achieve several accolades in his international career as well.

“I think GT spotted Shubman’s batting talent and his leadership capabilities early on. He has done wonderfully well for both GT and India,” Jinal said on their captain Shubman Gill ahead of the upcoming season.

Additionally, the director further gave a special mention to the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad — the home ground, where GT also won their maiden IPL title in 2022 by beating an experienced team like Rajasthan Royals in the finals.

“We are very lucky to have the world’s largest stadium as our home. The atmosphere at the stadium is electrifying whenever Gujarat Titans are playing. That really builds the right setting for our players to perform, and I think we couldn’t have had a better home than the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Jinal concluded.

Meanwhile, Shaan Mehta also gave a foreword on how the team and its members have bonded really well over the last few seasons. Shaan believes that if the Titans continue to gell the same way, it can bring them a lot of success in the coming years.

“The team bonding that has happened over the last few years continues and Shubman continues to lead us going forward for many years to come,” Shaan Mehta, the director of Gujarat Titans was quoted as saying, Shaan Mehta, the director at Gujarat Titans gave a concluding note.

GT Squad for IPL 2026: Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder, Ashok Sharma, Luke Wood, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Tom Banton.