Solanki ‘would have liked to have gone one step further’ but still ‘immensely pr’oud of Gujarat Titans
Reflecting on a Hard-Fought Campaign
The dust has settled on the IPL 2026 final, a match that saw the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerge as champions, leaving the Gujarat Titans (GT) as the runners-up. In the aftermath of the defeat, Gujarat Titans director of cricket Vikram Solanki offered a perspective defined by grace and professional accountability. While the disappointment of the final result is natural, Solanki emphasized that his team remains proud of their journey to the summit of the tournament.
Solanki acknowledged the dominance of their opponents throughout the season. “I’ll begin by congratulating RCB. They’ve had an outstanding campaign,” he stated. “They finished at the top of the table in the league stage and then went on to beat us twice, so we must take that on board. As far as our campaign is concerned, we’re immensely proud as a group of what we’ve achieved. There’s no question that we would have liked to have gone one step further, but there are a lot of other teams that would have gladly taken our place as well.”
Addressing the Challenges of a Tight Schedule
The path to the final was far from straightforward for the Titans. Following a loss to RCB in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala, the team faced a grueling travel schedule, playing three high-stakes matches in just five days. The fatigue factor was an obvious talking point, especially as the team arrived in Ahmedabad late on Saturday night, leaving them less than 20 hours to prepare for the championship decider.
Despite the logistical hurdles, Solanki refused to use fatigue as a shield for the defeat. “The number of games in a short period of time is challenging,” he noted. “Of course it is at the end of a campaign, but I’m not going to lean on that at all. The fact is that RCB have beaten us today, and we must be strong enough to hold our heads high and be proud of the campaign that we’ve put together, yet also be gracious enough to congratulate RCB.”
Tactical Decisions and the Top-Order Reliance
A recurring theme throughout the season was the heavy reliance on the top three: Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. With Gill and Sai Sudharsan both crossing the 700-run mark and setting a record for the most century partnerships in T20 cricket, the focus on the reliance of the top order is understandable. However, Solanki dismissed the criticism, noting that the results speak for themselves.
Regarding the tactical decision to promote Nishant Sindhu to No. 3 during the final after losing the openers early, Solanki clarified that it was a strategic call made by head coach Ashish Nehra. “That was a bit of a judgment call,” he explained. “Ashish made that call to send him in at No. 3 at that time. We didn’t really discuss it, but Ashish makes those calls now and again, if the captain is around, in conjunction with the captain.”
Lessons Learned and Future Outlook
The final was played in an environment that felt far from a traditional home advantage for the Titans, with RCB supporters creating an intense atmosphere. Reflecting on the match conditions, Solanki admitted that the team might have misjudged the nature of the pitch. “We probably just made a slight miscalculation of what score was appropriate on that pitch,” he reflected. “I don’t think it was a 200-plus pitch of any sort. I think if we had got somewhere around the 180-mark, that would have been a challenging total for them to chase.”
Ultimately, Solanki acknowledged the brilliance of Virat Kohli, who anchored the successful chase for RCB. While acknowledging the disappointment of the loss, the Titans’ leadership remains focused on the positives. The team has established itself as a formidable force in the league, and despite the heartbreak of the final, the progress made throughout the 2026 season provides a solid foundation for their future ambitions.
