The Gujarat Titans (GT) intend to "maximise the powerplay" in the 2025 Indian Premier League, and Shubman Gill wants to lead their batting.
Gill hit at 131.08 during the IPL 2024 phase, while GT had the lowest run rate (7.72) in the first six overs. Last year, the only batter with a powerplay score of less than 150 runs was his GT teammate Sai Sudharsan (115.49). In IPL 2024, Gill's first season as captain, GT finished ninth after reaching back-to-back finals in their first two seasons. He wants to use the bat to set the tone now.
At GT's preseason news conference on Wednesday, Gill stated, "The goal is to score as many runs as we can while taking as few wickets as we can." "After that previous season, we performed poorly in the powerplay and [the phases]." We were unable to play the manner we wanted to on the powerplay and even after, which is why we were unable to earn a spot in the playoffs.
It is my duty as a batter to bat in a way that maximizes the powerplay for us. That's my goal, and maybe we'll fix the mistakes from the previous season.
There were eight IPL 2024 scores of 250 or higher, making it a high-scoring season. It is not Gill's intention for his team to assume that this season will be any different.
As a squad, I don't believe we're aiming to reach 300. "That's not our goal," he stated. We want to play that type of cricket, and we will evaluate the current circumstances. Although we are not opposing it if the pitch or circumstances let us to score 240, 250, [or] 260 runs, there may be instances in which 150, [or] 160 would be the perfect score on a wicket.
A great team, in my opinion, is one that adapts best to the difficulties that are presented to it and the appropriate conditions. If, as a team, you are only seeking to play one way, you are not adapting.
Gill's first serious attempt at senior captaincy came in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Before that, he had only twice captained his home team, Punjab. However, since then, he has led India during the July tour of Zimbabwe and was promoted to be Rohit Sharma's deputy for the 2025 Champions Trophy and the Sri Lanka tour. This season will focus on his leadership development.
Gill stated, "I've definitely had more experience captaining Gujarat [Titans] than the Indian cricket team." And I really enjoy the experience that I get here from Vikram [Solanki, director of cricket] or Ashu [Ashish Nehra, head coach] paaji. There were many things I could learn from my first year as captain. Finding out fresh information about a player or even about yourself is difficult. I needed to improve on a few areas if I wanted to be a good captain.
I've played under a number of different captains, and each one has unique attributes. Some of these qualities speak to you personally, and you tend to carry them forward, so that's what I'll attempt to do.
Gill had a strong start to the previous season and amassed around 900 runs in the 2023 Indian Premier League. In his first six IPL 2024 matches, he amassed 255 runs with a strike rate of 151.78. However, his form deteriorated after that, and he finished with 426 runs at 147.40. Gill made it clear that batting and captaincy should be kept separate before the new season began.
It's best if we maintain captaincy and batting distinct," he stated. "In my experience, avoiding mixing it works well. The best course of action for me when I bat is to act like a batter and make judgments accordingly. When we are fielding or [are] off the field, or if I am fired, I take on the role of captain. I just think about batting when I'm batting.
Gill took solace in GT's overall IPL record, even if they were eliminated from the playoffs the previous season. Over the past three seasons, they have won the most games of any team with 28 victories.
We are the team with the most victories and the highest win % if you look at our record over the last three years," Gill stated. "We're going to have another fantastic season if we keep doing that. Furthermore, I don't believe we need to change anything just because it's a new season.
We have, in my opinion, played cricket the most consistently over the last three years. Nothing has to be changed, in my opinion. We're going to keep playing cricket, just like we have for the last three years.