Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar came out in praise of the Gujarat Titans (GT) owners for not overly meddling in the team's cricketing affairs.
Since being established in 2022, the Titans have made the playoffs in 4 of the 5 seasons that they have participated in, and even won the tournament in their very first year.
Last year, the franchise underwent an ownership change when the Torrent Group bought a majority stake in the franchise from the previous owners, CVC Capital, but that did not seem to have an impact on the on-field performances.
GT in IPL 2026
After a silent first half, the Gujarat Titans had a roaring second half in IPL 2026 and ultimately finished second on the points table. One better than last year.
In their first 7 matches, GT had a winning streak of three matches sandwiched between two losing streaks of two matches each. By the second half, GT put this volatility behind them and went on a five-match winning streak before finally dropping a game.
The team still won their last match of the league stage and confirmed that they would finish either first or second on the points table.
Their consistency can mostly be attributed to the opening duo of skipper Shubman Gill and southpaw Sai Sudharsan. The two have been doing the bulk of the team's run-scoring alongside number 3 Jos Buttler.
The Gujarat Titans have often been criticised for playing "slow and conventional", but the method has worked. Apart from the top 3, the pace battery led by Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder has immensely contributed to the team's success.
And not to forget the ace spinner Rashid Khan, who looked like he had completely lost his touch over the past year.
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"It's an interesting franchise" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar spoke to Sportstar about what he thought it was that worked very well for the Gujarat team. He appreciated the team's owners for not being in the public eye and letting Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki run things.
Manjrekar also praised their head coach, Ashish Nehra, for the on-field consistency.
"It is actually a remarkable story because it is a new franchise, and it is not a franchise where you see the owners sitting on the sofas; they are not in your face as such. Nobody knows the owners. The person handling the operations is a former England cricketer (Vikram Solanki), with a corporate background. So, it is a very interesting franchise, and their performances have been brilliant. Somewhere, Ashish Nehra, who has been the constant, should take a lot of pride in that," Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar's comment about owners sitting on a sofa is most likely a dig at the mother-son duo of Nita and Akash Ambani, owners of the Mumbai Indians.
Especially this year, the Ambanis have been seen sitting on a specialised sofa near the boundary ropes in each of their team's matches. Earlier, the BCCI had dragged in regulations about team owners interacting with players during the match.
GT's next match in IPL 2026
After finishing second on the points table, GT will head to Dharamsala to play Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.
In that game, GT will face table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The winner of the game will gain a direct entry into the IPL final in Ahmedabad on May 31, while the loser will gain a second opportunity to make the final by playing the second qualifier in Mullanpur on May 27.
Also Read: Rajat Patidar opens up on gameplan against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1
