If you support Gujarat Titans (GT), the phrase “broke the back of the chase early” — spoken by their No. 3 batter Jos Buttler — would be enough to trigger pure relief and joy.
Key takeaways
- GT chased a target in the 150–170 range for the first time in over four and a half years without needing the death overs.
- Buttler and Shubman Gill provided an early demolition, striking at 43 off 19 and 39 off 19 respectively.
- The chase of 156 finished in 15.4 overs, improving GT’s NRR from -0.475 to -0.192.
- GT have been involved in 10 of the 50 successful chases of totals between 150 and 170 since their IPL debut in 2022.
- In their most recent innings, GT reached 90 for 2 in 7.1 overs, with Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan struggling while Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder and Rashid Khan looked intent on stretching the lead and boosting NRR.
Early assault and a big NRR swing
GT may do many things, but dismantling a “middling” chase during the opening phase isn’t usually part of their identity. In many ways, they have often resembled the patience of Test cricket within the fast rhythm of T20: they avoid unnecessary danger until it becomes unavoidable. When the chase sits in that middle band, few teams handle it with the same practicality as GT.
That approach shifted on the last day of April 2026. GT did not let the score drift, did not panic with wickets falling, and only settled briefly before accelerating. For the first time in roughly four-and-a-half years since the franchise began, they chased a total in the 150 to 170 bracket without going into the death overs.
The foundation was laid by Shubman Gill and Buttler, who “broke the back of the chase” with aggressive spells: Gill struck 43 off 19 balls and Buttler answered with 39 off 19. It was a welcome change from their usual pattern in such chases. Across 11 occasions of this kind, it was only the second time that at least one of their top three batters managed a strike rate above 200 while also adding 30 or more runs.
GT were not chasing for spectacle. They sit in the middle of the IPL 2026 standings, where net run-rate can become decisive for playoff qualification. Their pursuit of 156 — completed in 15.4 overs — swung their NRR from -0.475 to -0.192.
Bowlers squeeze, batters chase with ruthlessness
After a second consecutive win, talk of NRR usually signals that the team is executing key details properly. For GT, one of the most important reasons has been how often their bowlers allow opponents to face the kind of targets that can be attacked and completed efficiently.
Since GT entered the IPL in 2022, there have been 50 successful chases of scores ranging from 150 to 170. GT have accounted for 10 of them — double the share you would expect in a league of ten teams. And while 19 teams have fallen short of chasing totals in that window, just one of those failures has come against GT.
The pattern is not limited to bowling restrictions. When GT pursue these scores, their batting has been among the most ruthless in the league. Still, this particular chase was only the eighth-best scoring rate a team has produced in these middling chases since 2022. In fact, GT have yet to bat at ten runs per over when chasing 150 to 170; their rate was 9.97 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) “last night”.
What made this innings stand out was the way GT looked when the chase began. Likely driven by match conditions and necessity, the side looked almost unrecognisable as they raced to 90 for 2 in 7.1 overs. Washington Sundar and Shahrukh Khan struggled, but Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder and Rashid Khan did not look like players simply trying to survive. They went after the outcome — and, in the same motion, targeted the NRR boost. In doing so, GT likely also learned something important: even if a chase does not fully go to plan and a “worst-case” scenario is triggered by a weak underbelly, it may not be as damaging as feared.
Where the problems start — and why this chase helps
Still, it can become a self-repeating loop, and it is difficult to isolate cause and effect. Are the middle-order batters underperforming because they are not spending enough time in the middle? Or are they not getting that time because their struggles force the top order to play cautiously for longer?
This chase could help calm GT down. They faced their worst-case idea — the middle order not contributing heavily — but their allrounders did not need to do much more than a brief reset. No team wants to see the lower order scrambling for the final runs, but generally speaking, 158 for 6 in 15.5 overs is far more useful than holding nine wickets in hand while still leaving a tense finish.
Even while breaking down a “10-1” set of middling-chase results, it is worth remembering that GT often set up the chase themselves by bowling in a way that leaves opponents chasing below-par totals. That is how Chennai Super Kings (CSK) used to play during their peak: give your bowlers enough to defend, and they will. As a result, teams frequently end up chasing scores that are less than ideal because the side has invested in its bowling unit.
Why teams are playing differently now
Yet those kinds of chases are not appearing as often. Tracks are flattening out, and the old strategy of taking wickets to slow down scoring has lost some impact due to the arrival and influence of the impact player. At the same time, batters are generally striking the ball better than they did even a couple of years ago.
Professional franchises rarely overhaul their approach overnight. Instead of changing how they chase or score purely to mirror the current scoring rates, teams work to improve steadily — refining what they already do — while making sure they stay aligned with the era.
GT’s recent form in this exact category shows that they have been becoming more efficient. Their last two chases of these middling totals have been their fastest: they had 20 balls left in the previous game against CSK, and now they closed this one with 25 balls remaining. If their bowlers keep delivering and their batters can bring a touch more intent without fearing dismissal, it looks like the team has turned a corner that could carry them into 2026.
