Former India batter Robin Uthappa called out Shubman Gill's captaincy after Gujarat Titans crashed out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season on Friday. The Gill-led side faced a 20-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator in Mullanpur and as a result, the 2022 champions were eliminated from the 18th edition of the T20 competition.
Gujarat Titans failed to chase down 229 as the side fell 20 runs short. For the third time in a row, GT bowlers were guilty of leaking runs. The fielding effort also left much to be desired as Rohit Sharma got two reprieves inside the powerplay.
Rohit Sharma was first dropped by Gerald Coetzee off the bowling of Prasidh Krishna while the second sitter was put down by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj.
Quite contrary to the league stage games, Shubman Gill employed Prasidh Krishna inside the powerplay. The tall pacer is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL 2025 season but the bulk of his wickets have come in the middle phase. Prasidh ended his campaign with 25 wickets in 15 matches.
“GT’s strategy was more reactive than proactive. Using Prasidh in the powerplay – despite his success in middle overs – was a misstep. His first over was expensive, and they failed to course-correct,” Uthappa said on JioStar.
{{/usCountry}}“GT’s strategy was more reactive than proactive. Using Prasidh in the powerplay – despite his success in middle overs – was a misstep. His first over was expensive, and they failed to course-correct,” Uthappa said on JioStar.
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“The 26-run and 22-run overs proved costly. On top of that, their fielding let them down. You can't drop that many catches and expect to win a championship,” he added.
Gill disappoints with the bat as well
Shubman Gill also had a disappointing day with the bat as he scored just one run before being adjudged leg-before wicket off the bowling of Trent Boult.
The newly-appointed India Test captain ended his IPL 2025 campaign with 650 runs in 15 matches at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87.
In the match against Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians posted 228 runs on the board, owing to Rohit Sharma's knock of 81 runs off 50 balls with the help of nine fours and four sixes.
Speaking about Rohit's knock, Uthappa said, “After the early drop, Rohit flirted with danger briefly but quickly recognised the need to take control. He shifted gears, played responsibly, found the gaps, and built key partnerships. His composure stood out.”
“When players like Rohit, Dhoni, or Kohli are at the crease, the pressure is on everyone else. Sai Sudharsan is starting to reach that level too,” he added.