GT spent Rs 17.45 crore on Gill-Sudharsan support cast, got just 778 runs in return

Gujarat Titans' batting struggles in the IPL 2026 final once again highlighted a problem that had been visible for most of the season. While Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler carried the batting unit, the rest of the batters failed to make a major contribution despite the franchise investing heavily in them.

GT spent a combined Rs 17.45 crore on Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Kumar Kushagra and Nishant Sindhu. However, excluding this group managed only 768 runs during the season, with Sundar emerging as their best bet.

Sundar emerges as best middle-order bet for GT

Sundar was the best performer among them as he was bought for Rs 3.2 crore and scored 374 runs in 16 innings at an average of 37.40 and a strike rate of nearly 150. He also fought hard in the final with a valuable knock of fifty after the top order collapsed, but GT could only reach 155/8 in 20 overs.

More from Firstcricket

Rahul Tewatia, who was retained for Rs 4 crore ahead of IPl 2025 auctions, scored 190 runs in 15 innings. While he produced a few useful cameos, he was unable to consistently finish games the way he had done in previous seasons.

Glenn Phillips, purchased for Rs 2 crore in IPL 2026 auctions, managed only 67 runs in six matches. Nishant Sindhu scored 63 runs, while Shahrukh Khan, another Rs 4 crore retention, contributed just 43 runs from nine appearances.

Arshad Khan scored 23 runs and Kumar Kushagra added 18. Sai Kishore, who was retained through the Right to Match card for Rs 2 crore, was primarily used as a bowler and did not make a significant contribution with the bat.

The lack of support for the top three became a major issue whenever Gill, Sudharsan or Buttler failed. That weakness was exposed in Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and resurfaced in the final against the same side.

After Gill and Sudharsan were dismissed early in Ahmedabad, GT once again needed their middle order to step up. Washington Sundar tried to rescue the innings, but the rest of the batting unit failed to build partnerships or accelerate when required.