Have nothing to prove this IPL: Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill said he has nothing to prove in the upcoming IPL after being dropped from the Indian team leading into the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Gill was the India vice-captain in the shortest format but was dropped to accommodate Sanju Samson in the top-order. India went on to win a record third title.

Gill captains the Indian Test and ODI teams besides leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL.

“Not at all, sir. I think if you look at the past three or four seasons, I think I have the most runs in IPL. So I don’t think I don’t have anything to prove in this season particularly.

“And the four years that I’ve played for this team, I think we have done decently well as a team. And I think I’ve done decently well as a batsman. So I don’t think I need to prove to anyone, my worth,” said Gill in the pre-season conference here when asked if he had a point to prove after the World Cup snub.

Gill is a prolific scorer in the IPL. He amassed 650 runs last season, 426 runs the year before and 890 runs in 2023.

“I think I need to do what I’ve been doing for the past four years. And as a team we need to be consistent, which I think we have been. If we continue doing that sooner or later, I think we will win that trophy once more,” said Gill.

Gujarat Titans had won the IPL on debut in 2022 when Hardik Pandya was in charge. Gill took over from Pandya ahead of 2024 season.

Talking about the new IPL season, Gill said that the team aims to perform equally well across venues and conditions.

“We want to win matches in different conditions. We don’t want to be a team that performs only on good wickets,” he said.

The top-order comprising Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler are used to scoring the bulk of the runs for the team.

Asked about their over reliance on the top-three, head coach Ashish Nehra, who sat next to Gill, backed his middle order to do the job.

“I don’t feel that the middle order was collapsing. The top three, yes, scored a lot of runs and played for around 17–18 overs. That is why the team was in a strong position after 13–14 games. Yes, it was a disappointing end to the tournament.

” But because those three scored so many runs, the middle order faced very few balls, which is not easy. There might have been one or two occasions in those 14 games where the No. 5 or No. 6 could have finished the game but didn’t. But it’s not an easy situation,” said Nehra.

Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on March 31.