Shubman Gill eyes powerplay dominance in IPL 2025
What's the story
Gujarat Titans's captain Shubman Gill has revealed his desire to spearhead his team's batting plan in Indian Premier League 2025.
He wants to "maximize the powerplay," following a dismal outing last year when GT recorded the lowest run rate (7.72) in the first six overs.
As per ESPNcricinfo, despite a strike rate of 131.08 in the phase, Gill and teammate Sai Sudharsan had the lowest strike rates among GT batters with at least 150 runs in the powerplay last year.
Performance analysis
Gill emphasizes on powerplay improvement
Gill acknowledged the team's performance in the powerplay and beyond, at GT's pre-season presser.
He said, "We did not do well in the powerplay or [the phases] after that last season."
He added that their inability to perform as planned during these crucial stages contributed significantly to their failure to qualify for the playoffs.
Strategy
Gill clarifies team's approach to scoring
Further, Gill clarified the team's approach to scoring.
He said, "I don't think as a team we're trying to chase 300 as a total. That's not what our aim is."
He stressed the importance of adapting their strategy depending on conditions and situations, instead of sticking rigidly to one style of play.
This flexible approach will be crucial in IPL 2025.
Leadership growth
Gill reflects on his captaincy journey
Gill's IPL 2024 captaincy for GT was his first major taste of senior-level captaincy.
He had only captained Punjab domestically on two occasions prior to this.
However, he has since captained India on their tour of Zimbabwe last July and was named Rohit Sharma's deputy for the tour of Sri Lanka and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Gill said, "I've had more experience captaining Gujarat [Titans] than the Indian cricket team for sure."
Dual roles
Gill maintains focus on batting
Despite his dual role as captain and batsman, Gill stressed on keeping these two responsibilities separate.
He said, "The more we keep batting and captaincy separate, the better it is."
This way, he will be able to focus only on his batting when he's at the crease and reserve the strategic decisions for his captaincy role off-field or when he's out.
Information
Gill's performance in IPL 2024 and his overall stats
IPL 2024 season saw Gill score 426 runs from 12 innings at 38.72. His strike rate was 147.40 (100s: 1, 50s: 2). Overall in the IPL, the star batter has racked up 3,216 runs from 103 matches (100 innings) at 37.83 (SR: 135.69). He owns 4 tons and 20 fifties.