IPL 2026: GT's top-three must fire, says Aakash Chopra after loss

Aakash Chopra criticises Gujarat Titans after their IPL 2026 opener loss to Punjab Kings, stating their top-three batters must 'fire'. He also pointed out issues with the middle-order strike rates and questioned Shubman Gill's captaincy.

'Top-Three Will Have to Fire': Chopra on GT's Batting

After Gujarat Titans (GT) failed in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener against the last season's finalists, Punjab Kings, the cricketer-turned-broadcaster Aakash Chopra believes the top-three batters of GT will have to "fire".

Speaking on Star Sports about the Gujarat Titans' performance, Chopra said, "For Gujarat Titans, the top three will have to fire because they are not giving themselves the opportunity to figure out a different way. Not many would believe it, but Glenn Phillips' 25 is actually his highest score in the IPL so far."

After inviting GT to bat first on Tuesday night, the PBKS restricted them to 162/6 in 20 overs following a brilliant bowling effort from Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal and Vijaykumar Vyshak. No Gujarat batter crossed the 50-run mark.

The former India cricketer stressed that Phillips and Washington Sundar will have to score with a better strike rate. "You would want him to contribute more consistently, and Washington Sundar also needs to score at a quicker rate because he seemed a bit stuck. They have continued with Shahrukh Khan, but I felt Kumar Kushagra also had a case for selection."

Punjab's batting unit survived a scare on Tuesday night as Cooper Connolly guided the team to a three-wicket win with an unbeaten 72-run knock.

Gill's Captaincy 'Left a Bit to Be Desired'

Chopra also criticised the captaincy of GT skipper Shubman Gill and said his leadership was 'left a bit to be desired'.

"GT need to rethink how their 4, 5, and 6 are structured. Even the bowling plans were puzzling. Siraj still had two overs left when the game was almost done, and Prasidh Krishna was brought in quite late. Overall, Shubman Gill's captaincy also left a bit to be desired," he said.

Upcoming Fixtures

Now, the Gujarat Titans will host the Rajasthan Royals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, whereas the Punjab Kings will take on the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)