GT defy explosive T20 environment with top-heavy consistency, balanced aggression
Ahmedabad, May 24
Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, have reached the Indian Premier League playoffs for the fourth time in five years. While the bowling trio of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan have been exceptional in what has largely been a run-fest, their top-heavy batting has once again produced magic that proves that in this highly volatile, aggressive T20 environment, there is space for more technically sound, calculated batting.
Gujarat Titans will be facing the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), on May 26 at Dharamsala in a battle between 'The King' Virat Kohli and 'The Prince' Shubman Gill. Both players have been the linchpins of their respective batting line-ups, providing the foundation on which their more fiery partners can display their batting pyrotechnics.
In this season, the Titans' top order of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler has scored the majority of the runs, while Washington Sundar has also chipped in with useful runs with a well-earned promotion up the order after his heroics in Indian colours.
In an IPL environment which has witnessed explosive openers like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Priyansh Arya and Finn Allen produce fireworks and shatter records, GT's model of consistency, especially among top-order batters, despite a mixed bag season from the middle-order, continues to amaze many. While volume of runs is undoubtedly important in T20s, it has become a secondary thought in recent seasons, especially for teams like the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who have had some of the most explosive batting orders of this decade.
*How GT stand among all teams in the ongoing season?
In the ongoing IPL season, GT stands at sixth place in terms of runs, with 2,427 runs in 95 innings. Their batting average of 34.67 is just below that of Punjab Kings (PBKS), who are slightly ahead with 34.98. Among the teams with the highest strike rates, they are placed sixth with 151.3 (Punjab Kings being at the top with 171.68).
They are also among three teams with 20 or more fifty-plus scores, with 20 such scores, including a century and 19 fifties, falling one short of PBKS (21, including two centuries), as per ESPNCricinfo.
*GT's batting through different phases: High on volume, balanced in explosiveness
-Powerplay: In the powerplay phase, the pairing of Sudharsan and Gill has prioritised security and quantity. Their model has relied on building a bank of runs with controlled aggression that could provide a safe cushion for the later batters and let Buttler, the fiercest of the top-three, to free his arms, as per CricViz.
Among all the teams in powerplay, GT is averaging 58.00, the best among all teams and their strike rate of 151.09 is the seventh best among all teams, as per Cricviz. They lag behind much more aggressive teams like PBKS, SRH, RCB and RR.
-Middle-overs: In overs 7-15, GT focuses on accumulation, with their average of 35.00 being the joint-highest with Delhi Capitals (DC) in that phase. Their strike rate also dips down to 148.93, which is the fifth-highest among all teams in the middle-overs phase. The sliding down is a combination of newer batters trying to settle in or the top-three continuing with their measured approach.
They trail behind teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (166.02) and Punjab Kings (162.33), who push the scoring rate much harder against spin, largely due to the six-hitting prowess of their skippers, Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer. The Titans are missing that consistent run-getter in the middle-order, with Washington Sundar (303 runs in 13 innings at an average of 37.87 and a strike rate of over 153, with two fifties) being the lone player to cross the 100-run mark and average in excess of 20 among batters after number three, as per CricViz.
-Death overs: However, GT's batting has a weak point, finishing. In death overs, they average 19.00 (seventh lowest among all teams) and strike at 159.46 (eighth lowest among all teams). While they manage to preserve their wickets in the first 15 overs, they often tend to lose the plot in the death overs. Their batting strike rate in death overs pales in comparison to teams like Punjab Kings (197.51) and Mumbai Indians (180.22), as per CricViz.
Team's batting coach Matthew Hayden is also aware of the team's playing style that values consistency over explosiveness and does not have the 'star power and star dust' that could set the T20 scene on fire.
"GT have constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. Not exactly, you know, going to set the world on fire with star power, star dust. It is more about being in the game, staying in the game and being consistent in the game. And through this tournament, we have built momentum into this game as well," he said during a presser in the ongoing IPL season.
*Careful with picking fours and sixes
GT has been extremely careful with picking fours and sixes, with their boundary percentage being 25.35 in powerplay (128 boundaries in 505 balls), 18.45 per cent (155 boundaries in 840 balls) in middle overs and 20.85 in death overs (54 boundaries in 259 balls), as per CricViz.
*Top three dependent: Sai, Gill, Buttler, the heartbeat of GT line-up
Sudharsan (638 runs in 14 innings at an average of 49.07, with a strike rate of 157.92, with a century and seven fifties), Gill (616 runs in 13 innings at an average of 47.38 and a strike rate of 161.67, with six fifties) and Buttler (469 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39.08, with a strike rate of 155.08, with four fifties) have scored a total of 1,723 runs out of GT's total 2,427 runs, which is 70.99 percent of their runs. Out of GT's 20 fifty-plus scores, they are responsible for 18.
Since the last season, the trio has been instrumental to GT's success. Even in the previous season, out of GT's 2,766 runs, one century and 18 fifties, they scored 1,947 runs (70.39 per cent) and 18 fifty-plus scores, as per ESPNCricinfo.
*Titans: Leading the average charts since 2022
Since their debut in 2022, GT has the best batting average among all IPL teams with 31.77, while they are at seventh place in terms of strike rate of 145.1. They have scored 12,550 runs since their debut, the fifth-highest among all teams since their debut, with not much separating the top five. RCB (12,683) has the highest runs in this time period.
It has always been a top-heavy team, with its top-order having contributed 7,879 runs (62.78 per cent). Out of GT's 79 fifty-plus scores (including seven centuries), GT's top three have contributed a total of 65 of those, including all seven centuries.
Since their inception, GT's top-order has averaged 39.79, the best among all teams, and their strike rate of 145.82 is the eighth among all teams, as per ESPNCricinfo.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The stats don't lie - 70% runs from top 3 is dangerous in T20s. What if Gill or Buttler gets out early in a crucial match? That middle-order is fragile. But credit where it's due, Hayden has built a solid unit that knows its limitations and plays to its strengths. Still worried about the death overs though... 😬
People keep comparing GT's style to SRH or RCB, but who's consistently in playoffs? GT! This team management understands that T20 is not just about sixes. It's about winning matches. Gill is proving why he's called the Prince - class is permanent, form is temporary. 👑
Honestly, I love GT's mindset. In India, we revere cricket as a sport of patience and technique, not just power-hitting. GT is doing what Indian cricket has always valued - building innings step by step. Yes, it might not be as flashy as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hitting 30-ball hundreds, but this is how you win tournaments. Shubhman Gill for India captain after Rohit? Just saying 🤔
Weak point in death overs is a major concern though. In IPL playoffs, one bad over can seal your fate. GT needs to find a proper finisher. But credit to the management for sticking to their philosophy. In a tournament where most teams just copy each other, GT has its own identity. Washington Sundar's promotion is a masterstroke - he's been brilliant!
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