Shubman Gill is the best IPL captain: Former India star's powerful statement as GT crushes CSK

Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif believes Shubman Gill has become the best captain of IPL 2026 after Gujarat Titans sealed a crushing win over Chennai Super Kings to boost their hopes of a top-two finish ahead of the play-offs. Kaif praised Gill’s leadership style, tactical clarity and the way he steered Gujarat’s bowling attack throughout the season.

Gill once again led from the front with the bat on Thursday, smashing 64 off 37 balls as Gujarat Titans piled up a massive 229 against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. The GT captain now has 616 runs from 13 matches this season and continues to combine captaincy with elite batting consistency.

IPL 2026, GT VS CSK: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

Gujarat eventually crushed CSK by 89 runs to bounce back strongly from their defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. Sai Sudharsan’s 84, Gill’s smooth hitting and Jose Buttler’s explosive 57 powered GT to a huge first innings total before the bowlers dismantled Chennai for just 140 in 13.4 overs.

The defeat officially ended CSK’s IPL 2026 campaign as they finished with 12 points from 14 matches. This also marked the third season in a row that Chennai failed to qualify for the playoffs.

After the match, Kaif took X and gave a strong endorsement to Gill amid the ongoing debates about his senior qualification in T20 cricket.

“For me, Shubman Gill is the best captain in this IPL. The mark of a great captain is how he uses his bowlers. His bowlers have taken 108 wickets in 14 matches,” Kaif wrote.

“RCB, PBKS, SRH, RR, CSK were denied by GT bowlers, Gill asks his bowlers to stick to the Test line and length of the match. Gill plays proper cricket – he has great batting technique and knows how to use his bowlers.”

Gill’s captaincy remained under heavy scrutiny despite Gujarat’s strong campaign, especially after he was dropped as India’s T20I vice-captain and overlooked for the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2026. But IPL 2026 was a strong response from the Gujarat captain as both a leader and a batsman.

Besides becoming only the third captain after David Warner and KL Rahul to score more than 600 runs in consecutive IPL seasons, Gill also joined the elite list along with Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar with multiple 500-run IPL seasons as captain.

The knock against CSK also made him the seventh fastest batsman to complete 6000 T20 runs.

Gill said after the match that Gujarat’s focus is on maintaining consistency rather than looking for something extra heading into the playoffs.

“It’s about keeping up with the good stuff and delivering game after game with the same impact. We don’t need to add anything more to that. But if we can keep doing what we’re doing, it will keep us in a good space,” Gill said.

Gill also admitted that memories of GT’s collapse against the same opposition last season were still fresh in his mind.

“After 12 games we were number one last season. We lost the last two games. The last game we played against the same opponent. I think they scored 230 odd points and we got 120 or something. So there were some flashbacks coming into this game,” he added.

HOW WAS SHUBMAN GILL’S GT CAPTAINCY IN IPL 2026?

Shubman Gill’s second full season as Gujarat Titans captain has quietly turned into one of the strongest IPL 2026 leadership campaigns.

GT looked like one of the most even sides in the tournament and a lot of that came from the clarity Gill showed with his bowling spins and tactical discipline. Gujarat’s bowling attack repeatedly dominated the opposition by sticking to hard lengths and disciplined lines rather than constantly chasing variations.

Their bowlers have now taken 108 wickets in 14 matches, with several teams including RCB, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings playing GT this season.

Gill also continued to deliver as the batting leader at the top of the order. He scored 616 runs at an average of 47.38 and a strike rate of 161.68 while carrying the added responsibility of captaincy.

More importantly, the GT regained momentum at exactly the right time. The win over CSK marked their sixth win in their last seven matches as they head into the playoffs looking like one of the strongest contenders for the IPL 2026 title.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

22 May 2026 0:33 IST

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