GT vs MI: Gujarat Titans stare at serious selection questions after collapse against MI
Gujarat Titans suffered one of their worst defeats of the IPL 2026 season on 20 April, crumbling to a stunning 99-run loss against the Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. GT got off to a horrific start as Jasprit Bumrah removed Sai Sudharsan for a duck on the first ball of the innings, and Hardik Pandya trapped Jos Buttler lbw in the very next over. Three players, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, and Glenn Phillips, now face credible selection pressure ahead of GT’s next fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 24 April.
1. Sai Sudharsan fails at the worst possible moment
Gujarat Titans’ batting depends heavily on Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler to produce the bulk of the runs, so a Sudharsan duck off the first ball of the chase effectively handed Mumbai Indians the match before it began.
This marked the first time that GT lost Sudharsan, Gill, and Buttler inside the first six overs of a single innings. The 24-year-old left-hander carries a high price tag and an even higher expectation from Gujarat Titans’ management, and surrendering to Bumrah’s very first delivery without a single run on the board represents a failure that the team simply cannot absorb repeatedly at this stage of the tournament.
2. Jos Buttler continues to misfire in the big moments
Buttler arrived at the crease with the Gujarat Titans already one wicket down and still managed only five runs before Hardik Pandya found his pads. Buttler took a DRS review that showed the ball clipping leg stump, confirming his dismissal and costing GT a review early in the innings.
The Englishman came into IPL 2026 as one of GT’s marquee overseas options, but his contributions at number three have left the middle order exposed time and again. The middle order, comprising Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, and Rahul Tewatia, is yet to inspire confidence, which makes Buttler’s repeated top-order failures significantly more damaging than they would be in a deeper batting lineup.
3. Glenn Phillips offers too little as an overseas pick
Phillips walked in at number four with the innings already in tatters and departed for just six runs. Mitchell Santner dismissed Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips in the same over, compressing GT’s middle order within moments.
Gujarat Titans carry only four overseas spots in their playing eleven, and Phillips, occupying one of those spots while contributing minimal runs or wickets, makes him the most vulnerable of the three.
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GT were eventually bundled out for 100 in 15.5 overs, a score that reflects collective failure but places individual accountability firmly on those overseas names who delivered nothing. The GT vs MI contest brutally exposed every structural crack the Gujarat Titans have quietly carried through this season.
