Ahmedabad: Captain Shubman Gill laid down a clear and confident marker for the IPL 2026 season, emphasising consistency over occasional brilliance as the defining goal for the Gujarat Titans. As the team prepares for the new campaign, Gill stressed the importance of scoring runs regularly and performing well in all conditions.

“At the end of the day, you have to score more runs than the other team. Whether it’s by four runs or 150–200 runs, the goal is to win. We are not chasing the glory of scoring 300–350 in a single match. We want to be a team that consistently scores big runs and achieves the par target for that wicket,” Gill said while addressing the media during a pre-season press conference conducted in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The skipper also highlighted the importance of adaptability, stating that the team aims to perform equally well across venues and conditions.

“We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that performs only on good wickets.”

Head coach Ashish Nehra echoed the sentiment, underlining the team’s ambition to remain competitive in all situations. “Like the captain just mentioned, we want to be a team that can win in any condition, in any situation, home or away,” Nehra said.

Reflecting on his own performance, Gill maintained that individual milestones are secondary to team success. “I am not someone who focuses too much on personal goals. Whether I play for my country or Gujarat Titans, I want the team to win. That is where my personal goal starts and ends.”

Since making their debut in 2022, Gujarat Titans have been among the most consistent teams in the league, reaching the playoffs in three of their first four seasons and winning the title in their inaugural campaign.

Gill also pointed to consistency over the past few seasons, both personally and as a team. “Over the last three or four seasons, I’ve been consistent with my performances, and as a team, we have done decently well. If we continue to be consistent, I believe we can win the trophy again.”

When asked about the team’s over-reliance on the top order, Nehra defended the middle order, saying, “I don’t feel that the middle order was collapsing. The top three, yes, scored a lot of runs and played for around 17–18 overs. That is why the team was in a strong position after 13–14 games. Yes, it was a disappointing end to the tournament. But because those three scored so many runs, the middle order faced very few balls, which is not easy. There might have been one or two occasions in those 14 games where the No. 5 or No. 6 could have finished the game but didn’t. But it’s not an easy situation.”

Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on March 31.

Gujarat Titans squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder, Ashok Sharma, Tom Banton, Luke Wood and Kulwant Khejroliya