IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans Skipper Shubman Gill Wants Team To "Maximize The Powerplay"

Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill stressed on maximising the powerplay phase while batting, saying that not being able to do so last season was one of the reasons why they failed to move to playoffs after two great seasons. GT will kickstart their IPL campaign against PBKS at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 25. During last year's IPL, GT's run rate during the first six overs was 7.72, the lowest among all teams, and Gill struck at 131.08 during that phase.

Only his opening partner Sai Sudharsan (115.49) scored slower among batters with at least 150 runs in the powerplay last year. After two back-to-back finals, including a title win, GT finished eighth in the IPL with just five wins in 12 completed matches. In this season, Gill wants to lay the foundation for a big score with the bat.

Speaking during the pre-tournament presser, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Gill said, "The plan is to score as many runs as possible and lose as few wickets as possible. We did not do well in the powerplay or [the phases] after that last season. We could not play the way we wanted to in the powerplay and even after that, and that shows in the fact that we could not qualify [for the playoffs]."

"As a batsman, it is my responsibility to bat in a way that allows us to maximise the powerplay. That is what I strive for, and hopefully, this time we rectify the errors from last season," he added.

During the last IPL, there were eight totals of 250-plus, and it was a run-fest during the powerplay on many occasions. However, Gill said that his team is not trying to chase the 300-run total but playing their cricket according to the prevailing conditions and