Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has reckoned that Shubman Gill is likely to make the most of his snub from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad in IPL 2026. The captain for India in ODIs and Tests was left out of the 15-member side for the marquee tournament owing to poor returns with the bat in T20Is. Ahead of IPL 2026, Pujara claimed that while the snub will work in Gill’s favour, he will have to work on his strike rate which will help him get back in the good books of selectors when it comes to T20Is.
What will Gill do for GT in IPL 2026 after T20 WC snub?
Speaking on JioHotstar’s Game Plan – Know Your Team, Pujara opined that Gill was a multi-format player and that a good season in IPL 2026 will bring him back to scheme of things in T20Is. The Gujarat Titans captain was the second leading run-getter for the franchise in IPL 2025, finishing with 650 runs to his name from 15 matches at an average of 50.
“The T20 World Cup squad snub will definitely fire up Shubman Gill. He is a quality player suited for all three formats. If he has a good IPL 2026 season, he will surely put his name in India’s T20I squad. He is leading the Test squad and is also the ODI captain. He is a multi-format player. If he has a good season, he will be back in the scheme of things for the Indian team,” Pujara said.
Gill played at a strike rate of 155.87 in IPL 2025 and he will be looking to keep up the same, or in fact improve those numbers in IPL 2026, while batting at the top of the order for GT. Sudharsan and the GT skipper, apart from Jos Buttler, scored bulk of the runs for the team in the previous season. Pujara reckons that Gill should accelerate his game in IPL 2026 and should strive to maintain a strike rate of 160.
“There will be some pressure on him because he has not been part of the India squad in the shortest format. But at the same time, it is a great opportunity for him to carry on batting the way he has. He needs to try and accelerate a little more because that is something he has been working on. This IPL season is the perfect one for him to show he can bat at a strike rate of 150 to 160,” Pujara added.
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