Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 31 against Punjab Kings, and according to former India batter Abhinav Mukund, Kagiso Rabada might miss a place in the GT playing XI.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Abhinav Mukund explained that he would not include Kagiso Rabada in his team. He feels players like Jos Buttler, Glenn Phillips and Jason Holder are certain overseas picks, along with Rashid Khan.
“I think Rabada misses out in my team. If Buttler’s a lock-in, [Glenn] Phillips, Holder [as well], then you’ve got to play Rashid Khan, right? They’ve got Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. They also bought Ashok Sharma. With the impact player, you have seven bowling options if you don’t play Rabada also.”
Kagiso Rabada form has also dropped a bit, as he took only two wickets in four matches in the previous season. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, he picked up five wickets in seven matches.
On the other hand, Jason Holder not only strengthens the bowling attack but also adds batting depth. He was bought for INR 7 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. In the T20 World Cup, he scored 141 runs at an average of 35.25 and a strike rate of 174.07. He also took 10 wickets in the tournament.
He ended 2025 with the most wickets in T20s, taking 97 wickets in 69 matches. With this form, it will be very difficult to drop a player like Holder, and he could get an opportunity in place of Kagiso Rabada, as Jos Buttler, Glenn Phillips and Rashid Khan look set in the XI.
ALSO READ:
With the schedule announced for the first phase, Gujarat Titans will play three away matches and one home match in their first four games.
Their first match will be against Punjab Kings on March 31 in Mullanpur. They will then play against Rajasthan Royals at home in Ahmedabad on April 4. After that, they will play two back to back away games against Delhi Capitals in Delhi on April 8 and then against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 12.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
