New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Gujarat Titans chairman Jinal Mehta and director Shaan Mehta reflected on Shubman Gill’s leadership in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and assured that the young batter will continue to lead the franchise for many years to come.

Gill moved to the Gujarat Titans in 2022 after a stellar IPL start with Kolkata Knight Riders from 2018 to 2021, where he was their highest run-scorer in 2020 and 2021. His pivotal contributions helped GT win the IPL 2022 title, and he followed that with a record-breaking IPL 2023 season, where he scored 890 runs with four centuries.

Subsequently, Gill was appointed as the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. In his first season as captain, GT finished eighth in the table. However, he was retained as captain for the 2025 season, during which the team qualified for the playoffs and finished third in the standings.

“I think GT spotted Shubman’s batting talent and his leadership capabilities early on. He has done wonderfully well for both GT and India,” Jinal said in an interview with the IPL after the mini-auction.

Shaan added, “The team bonding that has happened over the last few years continues, and Shubman continues to lead us going forward for many years to come.”

In the mini-auction held on Tuesday, GT strengthened their squad with five new additions: West Indies’ all-rounder Jason Holder, England wicketkeeper-batter Tom Banton, Indian fast bowler Ashok Sharma, England left-arm pacer Luke Wood, and uncapped Indian speedster Prithvi Raj.

Sharing the perspectives on the squad assembled in the mini-auction, Jinal added, “We came into the auction with our core in place, and we made minimal changes to our squad. We changed only five players. We came in with very specific requirements.

“We needed a couple of fast bowlers, an all-rounder, and a middle-order batter. We’re happy with the outcome and have achieved all of our objectives. I think we have achieved what we wanted. We welcome all of these new signings and look forward to the next season.

“We have made it to the playoffs three times in the four seasons that we have played, including winning in our inaugural season and being runners-up in the second season. We’re looking forward to building on this journey with the squad that we have in place. I think we will have a great season.”

Commenting on Narendra Modi Stadium, Jinal Mehta, Director, Torrent Group and Chairman, Gujarat Titans, said, “We are very lucky to have the world’s largest stadium as our home. The atmosphere at the stadium is electrifying whenever the Gujarat Titans are playing. That really builds the right setting for our players to perform, and I think we couldn’t have had a better home than the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.”

Having assembled a strong squad with a good mix of experienced cricketers and young talents, the 2022 champions will be aiming to clinch their second IPL title.

–IANS

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