Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill stated on Saturday that he is not burdened by local supporters’ expectations and will take advantage of familiar surroundings in the IPL final against reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad.
GT won the title in 2022 and crushed Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 to go to their third final in five years. Under Hardik Pandya, GT, one of the two latest teams in the league, won the title at the 130,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium in their inaugural season before losing the final the following year in 2023.
Before the 2024 season, Gill, India’s Test and ODI captain, took over as Gujarat’s captain. He is now leading his team into its maiden final.
“Honestly, I don’t really get burdened by expectations. There are advantages, that’s how I see it, there’s familiarity when we play there, we know the wicket, we know the ground, so, we know what kind of cricket we need to play there to be able to win,” AFP quoted the 26-year-old Gill as saying.
After hitting 104 in Friday’s Qualifier 2 in New Chandigarh, Gill now stands second in the batting table with 722 runs, behind 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan with 776. Sai Sudharsan, Gill’s opening partner, is ranked third with 710 runs, and the two have set the foundation for Gujarat’s success.
RCB advanced directly to the final after defeating Gujarat in Qualifier 1 under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. Last year, Patidar saw success when his side, led by superstar Virat Kohli, won their maiden IPL trophy on their 18th attempt.
RCB return to the venue where they won the championship the previous year after defeating Punjab Kings in the final.
However, Patidar stated that they will play with a new perspective.
“You cannot keep talking about 2025 — you have to be more in the present and do whatever best you can do to win the title. As I said earlier, that we are not here with the mindset of defending champion. We have an opportunity to win one more title. It’s a new season,” said Patidar.
