The Gujarat Titans were once the toast of the IPL, winning the title in their debut season (2022) and finishing runners-up in 2023. Fast forward to 2024, and the fairy tale had turned into a nightmare. Finishing a lowly 8th with a mere five wins in 14 matches, the franchise is now at a critical crossroads . The 2025 season in Abu Dhabi isn’t just another tournament; it’s a litmus test for their entire structure, built around the twin pillars of Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. But what went so spectacularly wrong, and can they fix it?
On the surface, the Gujarat Titans batting looked fearsome. Captain Shubman Gill continued his rich vein of form, while the acquisition of Jos Buttler, the 2022 Orange Cap winner, was seen as a masterstroke . Buttler delivered flashes of his old self, notching up a brilliant 107* against KKR . Yet, this top-order brilliance was a double-edged sword.
The team became dangerously over-reliant on these two. When either failed, the entire batting card seemed to crumble like a house of cards . This lack of depth and a dependable middle-order meant that their strong starts rarely translated into match-winning totals. It was a classic case of a team built on two superstar shoulders, with little support beneath them.
Stepping into the shoes of a champion like Hardik Pandya is no easy task. For Shubman Gill, his first full-time captaincy stint in a major franchise league was a baptism by fire. His personal form was commendable, but his on-field decisions and the team’s overall performance told a different story. Under his leadership in 2024, GT managed only five wins from 14 matches, a win percentage of just 35.71% .
The absence of a seasoned all-rounder like Pandya, who could provide stability with both bat and ball, was a massive void Gill struggled to fill . The pressure of leading a faltering side while also being its primary run-scorer was immense, and it showed in the team’s disjointed performances throughout the season.
While Gill and Buttler handled the top, the middle order was a revolving door of uncertainty. The likes of David Miller and Shahrukh Khan provided moments of magic but lacked consistency . The team missed a reliable, anchor-type batter in the No. 4 or 5 slot who could take the game deep—a role Hardik Pandya had perfected in their first two seasons .
Analysts like Aakash Chopra pointed out that GT were sorely missing Pandya’s middle-order heft, which had been a cornerstone of their past success . Without that stability, the pressure on the top order was amplified, and the death-overs batting often looked clueless. The team ended up using a staggering 27 players, the most in the league, which only highlighted their lack of a settled, dependable core .
Pre-season, the Gujarat Titans bowling was touted as one of the strongest in the tournament, led by the spin wizardry of Rashid Khan and the pace of Mohammed Shami [[45]. However, reality bit hard. Shami was ruled out for the entire season due to injury, instantly depleting their pace attack .
Even Rashid Khan, while economical, didn’t produce his usual wicket-taking menace, leading some to describe the attack as “undercooked” . The death bowling, once a strength with Mohit Sharma, became a major liability as the likes of Spencer Johnson and others leaked runs . The bowling unit, which had been their identity, lost its sharpness and failed to defend totals or restrict oppositions consistently.
The path to redemption in 2025 is clear but challenging for the Gujarat Titans. They must address three critical gaps:
The 2024 season was a humbling experience for the Gujarat Titans. It exposed the fragility of a team overly reliant on its star players. The 2025 auction in Abu Dhabi is their chance to course-correct. The talent of Gill and Buttler is undeniable, but they need a far more robust and balanced support system around them. The rebuild starts now, and the entire cricketing world will be watching to see if the Titans can reclaim their former glory.
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