Gujarat Titans finally got off the mark in IPL 2026 — but their one-run thriller against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday left enough talking points to fill an entire post-match panel. Chief among them: Shubman Gill, fresh back from injury, made a batting fifty, won the match, and still walked away with a captaincy lesson to learn.

The Win GT Desperately Needed

Gill’s return from the muscle spasm that had kept him out of the RR game made an immediate impact with the bat. He top-scored with 70 off 45 balls, anchoring GT’s total of 211 and leading by example after a difficult opening week. Delhi Capitals chased hard but fell one run short, finishing 210/x as GT held their nerve in the final over.

For a side that had lost their first two matches, both to last-ball or near-last-ball margins, this win was as much a psychological release as it was two points.

The Powerplay Call That Cost 23 Runs

The drama nearly overshadowed the victory, and Irfan Pathan pointed the finger squarely at one decision.

Gill had used Rashid Khan in the powerplay — Pathan called that a “good call.” The problem came at the end of it. For the sixth and final powerplay over, with DC openers KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka well set and dangerous, Gill threw the ball to 23-year-old uncapped pacer Ashok Sharma.

Nissanka went berserk. Three boundaries and a six later, DC had 23 off the over and finished the powerplay at 63/0. Ashok, who had only days earlier clocked the fastest ball of IPL 2026 at 154.2 kmph, had pace — but the pitch, and the matchup, were entirely wrong for him at that moment.

“Bowling Rashid in the powerplay was a good call. But they brought in Ashok for the last over. I felt that was a big mistake.”

“KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka like pace. This guy gives pace, but the pitch was not suitable for that. If you give the last over of the powerplay to an inexperienced bowler on a black soil pitch, it is a mistake.”

Ashok Sharma bowled three overs in total, going at 15 runs per over, finishing with figures of 0/45. He did not complete his fourth over.

A Pattern That Experts Have Been Flagging

This is not the first time Gill’s bowling management has come under scrutiny in IPL 2026.

After GT’s opening defeat to Punjab Kings, Aakash Chopra and Dale Steyn both took issue with the same fundamental problem — bowling resources being mismanaged.

Chopra noted that Mohammed Siraj still had two overs left when the PBKS game was essentially done — a sign of poor over distribution.

“The bowling plans were puzzling. Siraj still had two overs left when the game was almost done, and Prasidh Krishna was introduced quite late. Overall, Shubman Gill’s captaincy left a bit to be desired.”

Dale Steyn echoed those concerns, pointing specifically to the delayed use of Prasidh Krishna — who was GT’s most effective bowler that night — as the critical tactical failure against PBKS.

The table below captures how the criticism has evolved across three matches.

Match

Captaincy Issue Flagged

Critic

vs PBKS (Loss)

Siraj’s 2 overs unused; Prasidh Krishna introduced too late

Aakash Chopra, Dale Steyn

vs RR (Loss — Gill absent)

No Gill, stand-in Rashid captained

—

vs DC (Win)

Ashok Sharma given final powerplay over on black-soil pitch

Irfan Pathan

The Silver Lining: A Win Is a Win

Despite the criticism, GT did what they had failed to do in the first two weeks — they closed out a tight match. One run, last over, captain top-scoring with a fifty. That matters, and Gill’s 70 off 45 balls was the batting contribution his team had needed from their leader.

The question now is whether the captaincy can keep pace with the batting. Two former India internationals in as many weeks have raised the same concern — the bowling changes are not matching the tactical demands of the match situation. With the tournament only three matches in, there is still time for Gill to find those answers.