Jos Buttler of Gujarat Titans (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has highlighted Gujarat Titans’ key concerns ahead of the IPL 2026 season, pointing to their reliance on top-order batsman and star Jose Buttler’s lackluster form as potential trouble spots.The Titans reached the IPL 2025 playoffs but lost to Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator. Their success last season largely stemmed from the outstanding performances of Sai Sudharsan (759 runs), Shubman Gill (650) and Jose Buttler (538).In a recent YouTube video, Chopra explained that Gujarat’s batting strategy relies heavily on the top three. “What are their weaknesses? You can call them weaknesses or challenges. There’s still a slight over-reliance on the top three. It’s great if they repeat what they did last year, which is that the top three are shooting for 14th or 15th together, and at least one of them should be there 100 percent by 15th.”Chopra also highlighted Jose Buttler’s recent struggles, calling his form “pedestrian” compared to his past standards. He pointed out that if Buttler continues to hesitate, it could spell trouble for the Titans as both the openers cannot be expected to carry the scoring load consistently.“However, the truth is that Jose Buttler’s current form is very, very pedestrian. We haven’t seen Jose Buttler playing more ordinary than this in any edition of the World Cup. This time he was seen batting in good conditions. So will it be a bit of a problem for Gujarat Titans? You want to start with Jose Buttler, but what if the form can’t be good in every score? Chopra added both the openers.”Buttler’s poor run in the 2026 Men’s World T20 held in India and Sri Lanka saw him amass just 87 runs in eight matches.Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 31 when they take on the Punjab Kings at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
