A comprehensive look at every captain of Gujarat Titans including Hardik Pandya and the latest of GT skippers, Shubman Gill.
Gujarat Titans (GT) is one of the 2 teams that was introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the 2021 edition of the T20 league. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), led by KL Rahul, was the other team. Ever since they came into the IPL in 2022, the Titans have been a force to reckon with.
In their very first season, the Titans put their best foot forward and won the title. They finished on top of the league stage with 20 points and a net run rate of +0.316 thanks to wins in 10 out of 14 matches. In the Qualifier 1, they beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 7 wickets at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
In the final, GT beat the Royals by 7 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After being sent to bat, RR scored 130 fir the loss of 9 wickets. Thereafter, the Titans chased down the target with 11 balls left in their innings.
IPL 2024 Qualification Scenario
2023 was another memorable season for the Titans, although they could not get their hands on the trophy. Yet another time, GT finished on top of the table at the end of the league stage with 20 points and a net run rate of +0.809 courtesy of wins in 10 out of 14 games.
In the playoffs, GT lost to Chennai Super Kings by 15 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. After being asked to chase down 173, the Titans managed to score only 157 in 20 overs. But they made amends after beating Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians by 62 runs in Ahmedabad.
𝗦𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗥𝗮𝘁 reunion 💙❤️#AavaDe | #GTKarshe | #RCBvGT @ShubmanGill @imVkohli https://t.co/DUja4g8x5t pic.twitter.com/cVU2A0736c
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 3, 2024
In the final, GT lost to CSK by 5 wickets (DLS Method). After batting first, GT put up a huge score of 214 for 4 on the board in 20 overs. Sai Sudharsan was the pick of their batters after he raced his way to 96 off 47 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes.
Chasing a revised target of 171 off 15 overs, CSK romped home off their last ball. With 10 runs needed off the last 2 balls, Ravindra Jadeja hit Mohit Sharma for a six down the ground followed by a four to take the Super Kings past the finish line.
Contents
Every captain of Gujarat Titans: List of GT skippers
| Player | Span |
| Hardik Pandya | 2022-23 |
| Rashid Khan | 2022-23 |
| Shubman Gill | 2024 |
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya happens to be the most successful skipper for CSK in the IPL. He captained the team in 31 matches out of which the Titans won 22 of them and lost only 9. After playing 7 seasons for MI, Hardik moved to GT where he was named as their skipper. In the first season, he did not let his team down as the Titans got their hands on the trophy.
Hardik also won the Player of the Match award in the final against RR. He got the wickets of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer, and finished with more than impressive figures of 4-0-17. Thereafter, he came to bat at No.3 and scored 34 runs off 30 balls with 3 fours and a six before Yuzvendra Chahal accounted for his wicket.
Overall, Hardik had an impressive season across departments. In 15 games, Hardik scored 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and a strike-rate of 131.26 with fifties to his name. He also accounted for 8 wickets at an economy rate of 7.27.
In 2023, Hardik also tasted a significant amount of success for the Titans. In 16 games, Hardik made 346 runs at an average of 31.45 and a strike-rate of 136.75 with 2 half-centuries and a top score of 66 to show for his efforts. He did bowl a lot as he got only 3 wickets at an economy rate of 9.12.
Ahead of the 2023 edition of the IPL, Hardik moved back to MI and replaced the legendary Rohit Sharma as their skipper. Recently, he was also named as the vice-captain of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan has captained the Titans only 2 times in GT’s first 2 seasons when Hardik missed out due to certain reasons. Under his leadership, GT lost 1 game and ended on the winning side once. Rashid moved to GT after spending 5 seasons with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where he played under David Warner and Kane Williamson.
Rashid is on the cusp of entering the top 10 in the list of leading wicket-takers in the history of the tournament. He played a critical role in GT winning the IPL back in 2022 after he picked up 19 wickets from 16 games at an economy rate of 6.59. Rashid upped his game and finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2023.
In 17 matches last season, Rashid picked up 27 wickets at an average of 8.23 with a 4-wicket haul to his name. Rashid has also started to make a name for himself as a batter, having already played several match-winning knocks with a top score of 79 not out to his name.
Most Player of the Match awards in the IPL
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has been captaining the Titans after Hardik Pandya moved to MI. Gill played 4 seasons for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before moving to GT. After a couple of excellent seasons for them at the top of the order, GT found Shubman as the most apt candidate to replace Hardik as the skipper.
He won the Orange Cap last season after he scored 890 runs from 17 games at an average of 59.33 and a strike-rate of 157.80 with 3 hundreds and 4 fifties to his name. He got his top score of 129 against Mumbai Indians in the playoffs.
Gill was recently picked as a traveling reserve in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to start in June.
