Gujarat Titans face auction decisions after losing IPL final to RCB in last season

Gujarat Titans lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in last season’s Indian Premier League final, finishing runners-up for the second time. The result leaves the franchise needing to finalise its squad ahead of the IPL 2027 auction.

The Titans won the IPL in their maiden season in 2022 and have been described as one of the competition’s most consistent sides under Shubman Gill’s captaincy. Since 2022 they have reached the final twice and lost both matches. In the most recent campaign they won nine of 14 games and finished level on points with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Gujarat fell to Bengaluru by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 and then secured a place in the final by defeating Rajasthan. The championship match was the fourth meeting between GT and RCB that season, and GT lost the summit clash by five wickets, a result the source framed as evidence of lapses in concentration in high-stakes games.

The Titans’ opening pair were the competition’s highest-scoring opening duo last season, with Shubman Gill making 732 runs in 16 innings and Sai Sudharsan scoring 722 in 17 matches. Jos Buttler added more than 500 runs, while Washington Sundar contributed 336 runs.

Contributions from the middle and lower order were more limited: Rahul Tewatia scored 190 runs in 16 matches, and Shahrukh Khan was left out after nine games. The source notes the franchise has continued to support both players despite those returns.

Those batting inconsistencies, the report states, place added burden on Rashid Khan, who frequently bats at No. 7. As a consequence, the Titans are expected to consider changes to their batting unit at the IPL 2027 auction.

Shubman Gill will captain Gujarat Titans in IPL 2027, and the franchise will use the upcoming auction to address squad balance ahead of the new season.