IPL Auction | All eyes on number four as Gujarat Titans face tricky test with limited money

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Gujarat Titans have retained their core from the previous IPL season with a total of 20 players on their roster. However, with four overseas slots open, out of five overall, and a budget of INR 12.90 crores, they need a starter at number four after Sherfane Rutherford's trade to Mumbai Indians.

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan during a match for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025.

‌Gujarat Titans had a dream debut to their Indian Premier League journey in 2022, winning the coveted trophy in their maiden season under the leadership of Hardik Pandya. And the current Mumbai Indians captain, along with head coach Ashish Nehra, once again took them to the summit clash before falling out to Chennai Super Kings in the next year. But once the all-rounder left for his former club, the side struggled to make ends meet in Shubman Gill’s first season as leader. They finished a lowly eighth in the points table in IPL 2024 before making amends at the mega auction last year with brilliant signings.

Rajasthan Royals’ loss became Titans’ gain, with their new acquisitions Jos Buttler, along with the pace duo of Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, and the already retained opening duo of Gill and Sai Sudharsan playing stellar roles to help the side finish third in the table before losing to Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 Eliminator. With another auction round the corner, the side is left to make five signings, including four overseas players, but with a shoestring amount of INR 12.90 crores. Will the Titans be able to find success yet again? Let us put our nerd hats on.

Top Order

1 Sai Sudharsan 2 Shubman Gill 3 Jos Buttler ✈️

Backup(s): Kumar Kushagra

The trio of Gill, Sudharsan, and Buttler ran riot in IPL 2025, scoring the majority of the total runs scored by the team in the entire season; 70.39% to be precise. The left-handed opener was on top of the overall run charts with a tally of 759 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17. Meanwhile, Gill and Buttler had 650 and 538 runs, averaging 50.00 and 59.77, and striking at 155.87 and 163.03, respectively.

The Titans amassed 802 runs in the powerplay throughout the tournament at an impressive average of 66.83, the highest for any team in that phase, while also striking at 148.52. Even in the middle period (overs 6 to 15), the side had the second-highest run tally of 1455 runs, while also topping the averages (58.2), strike rate (161.67) and fours-hit chart (133). The unbelievable form of the trio ensured that at least one of them continued till the end of the 15th over, making it easier for the finishers to go berserk from ball one in the death.

However, the Titans are left with only Kumar Kushagra as the backup option in the top order, with the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter in the midst of an impressive Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season. Batting at number three, he has amassed 316 runs at an average of 79.00 and a strike rate of 156.43, with match-winning unbeaten half-centuries against Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

Possible Targets: The side will be in the hunt for an overseas top-order batter, who can fit into their budget, with the likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Jonny Bairstow all available in the market.

Middle Order

4 To be picked 5 Washington Sundar 6 Shahrukh Khan 7 Rahul Tewatia 8 Rashid Khan ✈️

Backups: Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat

With the top order in exhilarating form, the middle and lower order were left to fetch the cameos towards the end of the innings. And the trio of Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia all chipped in when needed, striking at impressive strike rates of 179.00, 166.25 and 167.79, respectively. Unsurprisingly, the Titans have tallied 833 runs in IPL 2025 between overs 15 and 20, second overall, at a strike rate in excess of 170.

But GT have one giant hole, in the form of number four, to fill in, after trading Sherfane Rutherford to the Mumbai Indians, and is expected to focus the majority of their resources on that front. Though they have Glenn Phillips in their ranks, the New Zealand all-rounder is yet to hit full tilt in the IPL with modest numbers of 65 runs from eight matches at an average of 9.28 and a strike rate of 118.18. But with a good season in the Major League Cricket with Washington Freedom, together with the limited budget of the Titans, Phillips may finally find his calling in one of the best franchise leagues in the world.

Potential Targets: Matthew Short, with his vast experience in the Big Bash League, can be an apt choice for the side at two drop. The Australian all-rounder, who has been a regular feature in the national side in the recent past, also had a 360-run season with San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC this season, averaging 45 and striking at 164.38. Liam Livingstone is another option that the Titans can pursue, but given their limited budget, it might well go over their head. The Gujarat-based outfit does have an alternative by promoting Washington Sundar to four and then going for their former player David Miller to fill in the vacant slot.

Bowling Attack

9 R Sai Kishore 10 Kagiso Rabada ✈️ 11 Mohammed Siraj 12 Prasidh Krishna

Backups: Jayant Yadav, Manav Suthar, Nishant Sindhu, Ishant Sharma, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar

Though Rashid Khan had a rare off-season with the ball, the impressive performances of Prasidh, Siraj and Sai Kishore helped the side coast over and reach the playoffs for a third time in four years. The Karnataka pacer ended on top of the overall wickets pile, winning the purple cap last season, with 25 wickets from 15 games at an economy of 8.27 and an impressive strike rate of 14.16.

Fellow pacer and new signing Mohammed Siraj was excellent with the new ball, with nine of his total 16 wickets coming in the powerplay phase. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Sai had a breakout season, registering 19 scalps at an average of 20.68, with a wicket coming every 13.42 deliveries. The Tamil Nadu player is expected to once again headline the Titans’ spin attack alongside Rashid Khan in the next season.

The side is filled with domestic options who can fill in as backups in the bowling department. Ishant Sharma and Yayant Yadav lead a pack of six bowlers, three pacers and spinners apiece, who can be called into action whenever required. But the Titans will have an eye on securing backups for Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan, who were not at their best last season. A pacer like Mustafizur Rahman, who can bowl in all phases and a spinner who can also chip in as a hitter with the bat, in the mould of Rishad Hossain, would serve the Titans best.

Potential Targets: Matt Henry/ Mustafizur Rahman/ Will O’Rourke/ Ben Dwarshuis/ Rishad Hossain