Former India cricketer and now expert, Mohammed Kaif, believes Shubman Gill has emerged as the best captain of IPL 2026 after the Gujarat Titans sealed a crushing win over the Chennai Super Kings to strengthen their top-two finish hopes ahead of the playoffs. Kaif praised Shubman Gill‘s leadership style, tactical clarity and the way he has managed Gujarat’s bowling attack throughout the season.
Gill has led from the front with the bat on Thursday, as he smashed 64 runs off 34 balls as GT piled on a massive 229 against CSK in Ahmedabad. The captain of GT has 616 runs from 13 matches and has continued to combine captaincy with elite batting consistency. GT eventually crushed CSK by 89 runs to bounce back strongly after their defeat to KKR. Sai Sudharsan’s 84, Gill’s fluent knock and Jos Buttler’s explosive 57 powered GT to a huge first-innings total before the bowlers dismantled Chennai to just 140 in 13.4 overs.
The defeat for the record officially ended CSK’s campaign in the 2026 IPL as they finished with 12 points from 14 games. It also marked the third straight season where Chennai failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Mohammed Kaif praises Shubman Gill’s leadership
After the match, Mohammed Kaif took to X and strongly backed Shubman Gill amid the constant debate about his leadership credentials in T20 cricket. Mohammed Kaif wrote, “For me, Shubman Gill is this IPL’s best captain. The sign of a great captain is how he uses his bowlers. His bowlers have taken 108 wickets in 14 games. RCB, PBKS, SRH, RR, and CSK have been dismissed by GT bowlers. Gill asks his bowlers to stick to the Test match line and length. Gill plays correct cricket- has great batting technique and knows how to use his bowlers.”Â
Gill’s captaincy has remained under heavy scrutiny despite Gujarat’s strong campaign, especially after he was removed as India’s T20I vice-captain and overlooked for India’s T20 World Cup 2026 winning squad. But IPL 2026 has been a strong response from the Gujarat captain both as a leader and batter.
Apart from becoming only the third captain after David Warner and KL Rahul to score 600-plus runs in consecutive IPL seasons, Gill also entered an elite list alongside Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar with multiple 500-run IPL seasons as captain. The knock against CSK also made him the seventh fastest batter to complete 6000 T20 runs.
Shubman Gill’s captaincy in IPL 2026
Shubman Gill’s second full season as Gujarat Titans captain has quietly turned into one of the strongest leadership campaigns of IPL 2026. GT has looked like one of the most balanced sides in the tournament, and much of that has come from the clarity Gill has shown with his bowling rotations and tactical discipline. Gujarat’s bowling attack has repeatedly dominated opposition by sticking to hard lengths and disciplined lines rather than constantly chasing variations.
The bowlers have picked up 108 wickets in 14 matches, with teams including RCB, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings getting bowled out by GT this season. Gill has also continued delivering as the batting leader at the top of the order. He has scored 616 runs at an average of 47.38 and a strike rate of 161.68 while carrying the added load and responsibility of captaincy.
More importantly, GT have regained momentum at exactly the right time. The win over CSK marked their sixth victory in the last seven matches as they headed into the playoffs looking like one of the strongest contenders for the IPL 2026 title.
It remains to be seen whether Gill can lead his troops to their second IPL title. GT came into the league in 2022 and won that season under Hardik Pandya, with Gill part of the set-up. Now, Gill, as the new India captain in two formats will want to leave a mark and win IPL 2026, which they can with the final set at Ahmedabad. Let’s see how things pan out for them in the playoffs.
Also Read: GT VS CSK: 3 Reasons for CSK’s Humiliating Defeat to GT.