Vibe in one line:

Post-Hardik Pandya, recalibration still in progress under Shubman Gill.

What's changed in 2026

Not a lot, and that's by design.

Gujarat Titans entered the auction with one of the most settled squads and largely chose continuity over disruption. There were no headline batting additions, no reshuffling of the core. The top order, already anchored by Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, remains untouched.

Their moves were more about insulation than reinvention. Tom Banton comes in as a like-for-like backup for Buttler, while Jason Holder adds a layer of balance they didn't quite have last season - a seam-bowling allrounder who can float roles. The rest of the auction went into strengthening their fast-bowling depth: Luke Wood, Prithvi Raj and Ashok Sharma join an already crowded pace unit featuring Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Prasidh Krishna.

Team identity

If anything, this is a squad that has doubled down on its existing template rather than chasing upgrades.

The bigger shift is less about personnel and more about leadership. With Gill settling into captaincy in the post-Hardik Pandya setup, this is now unmistakably his team, one that still carries the efficiency of its early years but is searching for a more assertive expression. That search is tied closely to Gill himself. Left out of India's T20 World Cup squad, he enters this season with a point to prove in a format where his place is no longer unquestioned.

GT, in many ways, reflect that uncertainty. They are anchored by a top order that has been as consistent as any in the IPL. That stability, though, comes with a pattern. Titans were among the slowest starters in the powerplay last season (a runrate of 8.55) despite losing the fewest wickets, prioritising control over early aggression.

That places a greater burden on the middle order, which has not quite kept pace. Across the last two seasons, no team has averaged less from No.4 to 7 (average of 21.08) than the Titans, a sharp drop from their title-winning years when that phase was a strength thanks to the presence of Pandya and David Miller.

The addition of Matthew Hayden to the coaching staff could offer something different. For a side that has often erred on the side of caution, his presence could push towards greater attacking clarity.

Core XII (if all fit)

Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips/Tom Banton, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada/Jason Holder, Prasidh Krishna

There is flexibility, but it comes with trade-offs.

Phillips offers middle-order aggression, particularly against spin, while Banton is a more direct like-for-like backup for Buttler. The bigger call could be around the overseas bowling slot: Rabada's experience versus Holder's all-round balance, especially in a side still searching for stability through the middle.

The Indian pace options remain interchangeable, but Siraj's powerplay role and Prasidh's hit-the-deck presence give them a default structure.

What they do better than most

Their ability to control spin.

The Titans lost just 20 wickets to spin last season, the second fewest in the league, and scored at a strike rate of over 150 against it. With a top order comfortable against slower bowling and players like Phillips adding further range, this remains a clear strength.

A player that changes their ceiling

Shubman Gill

For a side built on stability at the top, Titans' ceiling is closely tied to the tempo set by Gill. There is little doubt about his output. Since 2023, only Virat Kohli has scored more runs in the IPL. But the question around Gill in T20s has increasingly shifted from volume to velocity.

Left out of India's T20 World Cup squad, he enters this season at an inflection point. The opportunity is not just to lead the Titans through a transitional phase, but to redefine his own T20 identity. How far he pushes that shift could define how far the Titans go.

What could trip them up

The middle overs with the bat, and the erosion of their bowling edge.

For all their top-order consistency, Titans have had the least productive middle order in the league across the last two seasons. Without the finishing assurance once provided by Pandya and Miller, that phase has become reactive rather than decisive.

With the ball, too, there are questions. Rashid Khan's returns have dipped sharply since 2023, while GT's overseas bowlers were the least effective among all teams last season in terms of average and strike rate.

The one to watch

Kumar Kushagra

He may not begin the season in the first-choice XII, but Kumar Kushagra is difficult to ignore. The young wicketkeeper-batter comes in on the back of a prolific domestic run, showing both consistency and intent across formats. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he struck at over 160 while averaging above 60.

He is a player capable of both building and accelerating, rather than being locked into a finishing role. Whether he gets a consistent run is another question in a settled setup. But if the middle order continues to drift, the temptation to bring him in could grow quickly.

One game to circle

Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya on one side, Shubman Gill on the other. GT have had the better of this rivalry, but it was MI who knocked them out in last year's Eliminator.