Gujarat Titans stumbled out of the gate in IPL 2026, suffering a loss in their opening match by five balls’ worth of margin. Even so, the team’s next outings showed how quickly the contest narratives can swing in T20 cricket: in their second game, they stayed alive until the second-last delivery, while in the third they looked set to fall short with just two balls remaining. With two required off the final two, David Miller of Delhi Capitals opted against an easy single, pushing the pressure back onto the chasing side at exactly the wrong time.
The finish turned on the last over’s final moment. Prasidh Krishna delivered a slower bouncer that got past the batter and disrupted the timing, and Jos Buttler’s direct hit sealed the result for Delhi. After the match, Gujarat captain Shubman Gill explained that the decision to bowl the slower ball was not accidental, but deliberate—an adjustment based on how the wicket was behaving and what the batter would likely be able to reach.
Gill said the team had weighed two options—whether to aim for a yorker or to go with the slower delivery—and ultimately chose the latter because, given the way the surface was playing, it would be hard for the batter to clear the boundary with any kind of power. He stressed that the slower ball, if executed well, would be difficult to hit for six or a clean four at the death.
Whatever the drama at the end, the match’s groundwork had been laid by Gujarat’s batting. Three of the top four—Gill, Buttler and Washington Sundar—registered half-centuries, giving the innings real momentum. At 168 for 2 after 16 overs, they looked primed for a huge finishing burst, yet they managed only 42 runs from the last four overs. That late slowdown, while not fatal, was also a signal that Delhi might still have a route back if they held their nerve in the final phase.
Gill later reflected on the batting plan and the conditions, saying the team had consistently believed they would be in the right range on that pitch, estimating that a total around 210 would be competitive and leaving them 10 to 15 runs above par. He added that even during the death overs, the big boundaries were not easy to attack, largely because of the slowness in the wicket. His message was clear: if Gujarat could execute their bowling with discipline, they felt victory was within reach.
Buttler’s return also mattered. After a difficult stretch in the T20 World Cup—where he made 87 runs across eight innings—he struggled to turn starts into substantial scores in the first two IPL matches, scoring 38 and 26. In this game, he credited the effort of staying patient as well as the timing of the innings, admitting that he had been searching for runs while believing they would arrive eventually.
Speaking after the win, Buttler leaned into the relief of getting over the line, joking about “blind squirrels” and describing the final throw as lucky, even as he made it clear how badly his side needed the points. He said he felt in good touch for a while, and noted that with enough time in the game, runs tend to come back. He also emphasized the importance of starting well in a long tournament, pointing out that only four teams qualify for the playoffs, which makes early momentum and points especially valuable.
Gujarat Titans will now turn their attention to their next challenge against Lucknow Super Giants, with the match scheduled for April 12 in Lucknow.
