Gujarat Titans suffered a 92-run defeat in Qualifier 1 and now head to New Chandigarh with little to feel good about, beginning their wait for a second chance at glory. Royal Challengers Bengaluru dominated the contest from start to finish on the night, and both departments—batting and bowling—were consistently outmatched. Yet, for Titans captain Shubman Gill, the most frustrating aspect wasn’t even the opposition’s big swing, but the way his team defended and supported in the field.
Speaking after the match, Gill said the side had been moving in the right direction early on, but that their execution later slipped. “We were going pretty well until the 12th or 13th over, but I don’t think our fielding was on par. We dropped a couple of catches, and then our ground fielding wasn’t up to the mark,” he told broadcasters.
Gill pointed to a few pivotal turning points that Titans will likely replay in their minds. One such moment came when Kagiso Rabada struck a relatively routine chance off Rajat Patidar while the RCB batter was on 20. The opportunity went begging, and the impact was immediate—Patidar then went on to smash 93 not out off 33 balls.
Beyond those missed chances, Gujarat Titans also had their share of sloppy moments in high-pressure phases, including no-balls, misfields, and overthrows that cost them valuable momentum. Gill was blunt in describing how those errors compounded under pressure, even if the intensity was clearly present in the match.
“It’s definitely something we address in team meetings and practice sessions. It wasn’t our day—because the intensity was there, but in pressure situations we weren’t up to the mark,” Gill added.
For Titans, the sting ran deeper because they had a window to seize control when Patidar was still there to be dismissed. However, instead of capitalising, Gujarat’s batting leaked runs in the later stages, and the earlier dropped opportunities came back to haunt them. RCB ultimately posted 254 for 5, and the chase never truly got going for the Titans, who were restricted to 51 for 5 by the end of the powerplay.
Gill is now focused on moving on quickly. “One of those games we would like to forget, and start over in Mohali,” he said, as the team prepares to switch their mindset to the next stage of the tournament.
Still, the captain didn’t paint the loss as a complete mismatch in every sense. He insisted that Gujarat always believed that a target could be chased at this venue, even though the batting was blown apart by RCB’s quality bowling. He also highlighted how the start matters greatly on grounds where the ball moves through and the outfield stays quick. “All about getting a good start. If you get a good powerplay on a ground like this where the ball travels and the outfield is very quick, you can get to any target,” Gill said. “It could have been chaseable with the kind of wicket we had and the kind of ground.”
Gill also referenced an unusual dismissal that added to Titans’ misfortunes, particularly Sai Sudharsan’s hit-wicket. “You don’t see that kind of dismissal very often, so that was unfortunate,” he noted.
With that, Gujarat Titans shift their attention to the next phase. They travel to Mullanpur, where they will await the winner of the Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
