Aakash Chopra believes over-reliance on the top order could be GT's biggest weakness. Image Credit X/@cricketaakash
One of the Gujarat Titans’ disadvantages ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, according to former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, is their over-reliance on their top order with the bat and star batsman Jos Buttler’s poor record.
The Gujarat Titans advanced to the IPL 2025 playoffs, but they were defeated in the eliminator clash by the Mumbai Indians. The batting prowess of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler was a major factor in the Titans’ run to the playoffs. The top-order batters had a very successful season, with Sudharsan scoring 759, Gill scoring 650, and Buttler scoring 538.
Aakash Chopra explains on his YouTube channel how the Gujarat Titans rely too much on their top three hitters. The top order frequently batted until the 14th or 15th over last season, and at least one batter should continue until the 15th over, he clarified.
In his YouTube video, Aakash Chopra discussed the Gujarat Titans’ shortcomings. He discussed how, similar to last year, they rely too much on their top order. The former Indian cricketer said, “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 per cent be there till the 15th over. You should only be one down by the 14th or 15th over.”
Jos Buttler’s poor form prior to the competition was criticized by Chopra. He mentioned the Englishman’s lackluster T20 World Cup performances. Chopra referred to Buttler’s style as “pedestrian” in contrast to his earlier performances. He cautioned that the Gujarat Titans may face difficulties if Buttler’s problems persist because the club cannot depend on both openers to score runs in every game.
The former cricketer added, “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 isn’t good? Both openers can’t score runs every time.”
The Gujarat Titans will play their first IPL 2026 match at Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh against the Punjab Kings on March 31. The Rajasthan Royals will be their first opponent at home. On April 4, the two teams will play in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
GT will then head to the capital city to play the Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 8. The Titans will take on the Lucknow Supergiants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Kishore, Washington Sundar, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Tom Banton, Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Luke Wood, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Rashid Khan
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