Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the Gujarat Titans (GT) can approach the IPL 2026 Auction with ease, as their retentions have already strengthened every department. Under Shubman Gill’s leadership, the franchise has held on to all key players, keeping largely the same core that dominated the IPL 2025 league stage.
GT have let go of a few backup options such as Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka, and Kulwant Khejroliya. Among their overseas exits are Gerald Coetzee and Sherfane Rutherford, with Rutherford moving to Mumbai Indians (MI) in a ₹2.6 crore trade. Ashwin said GT can do really well in 2026 if Sundar plays well at the top and Rashid gets his form back.
“Why did GT release Rutherford? Because they believe that Washington Sundar can do that job. Their top three are solid on that ground. Sai and Gill’s 500-500 runs are guaranteed. If Rashid Khan has a better season, they are a finals team. They can go to the auction casually with pakodas, can sit there and eat, and bring back some players,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“SRH Shouldn’t Have Released Shami Before IPL 2026 Auction”- Ravichandran Ashwin
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) released Mohammad Shami, who was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹10 crore in the trade window. Although the senior pacer had a poor IPL 2025, he has recently shown strong form for Bengal in domestic cricket.
With SRH also letting go of bowlers like Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, and Wiaan Mulder, Ashwin remains unconvinced about the strength of their current bowling attack.
“There was not much sense behind the idea of releasing Klaasen, because why would you leave him? SRH’s bowling is concerning. I would have thought once or twice more before releasing Shami. Maybe Bharat Arun told Sanjiv Goenka to get Shami, and I will get the best out of him. Cummins’ injury is a concern, they might look towards Travis Head as captain,” Ashwin said.
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