Gujarat Titans will have several options.
Gujarat Titans (GT) have a few tricky choices in the overseas department ahead of IPL 2026. Jos Buttler and Rashid Khan are two settled slots, while Jason Holder should also play. He has improved massively and contributes with both bat and ball, which aligns with what the Titans have historically preferred.
The fourth slot will have three options, with Glenn Phillips, Tom Banton, and Kagiso Rabada vying for one spot. Phillips and Banton can bat in the middle order, whereas Rabada strengthens the pace department. The choice would have been simpler had GT not bought Holder, but things are complicated now.
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Glenn Phillips is an aggressive middle-order batter with the ability to bat anywhere from No.4 to 7. His best usually comes at No.4, where he also found ample success in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. Overall, Phillips has 600 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 152.28 in 18 innings, with three fifties, at this position since 2025.
A notable feature has been his improvements vs spin: he strikes at 156.56 and hits a boundary every 5.21 deliveries in this period. He is equally powerful against pacers and will enjoy playing on flat IPL decks, where movement off the pitch remains minimal. Additionally, the Kiwi player also brings decent off-spin value and can be effective against LHBs in the powerplay and middle overs.
Meanwhile, Tom Banton was primarily bought as Jos Buttler’s backup, but he can take the fourth overseas slot in the Gujarat Titans playing XI. Banton’s range of shots and superior foot movement against slow bowlers have increased his value massively. He can be flexible with his batting position and has batted everywhere from the top to middle overs in the last year or so.
Assuming GT’s top order is cramped, Banton can take the No.4 slot, where he has 356 runs at an average of 35.60 and a strike rate of 144.71 in 13 outings, including three fifties. He has also batted even lower for England and has done reasonably well. Additionally, the English batter can keep the wickets, which makes him an all-round option.
Few IPL teams can afford to leave out Kagiso Rabada. He brings a certain reputation and fits the kind of players Gujarat Titans want. There’s always some early movement in Ahmedabad, and the Proteas pacer brings the expertise to extract it.
He also has the pace to bowl hard lengths into the body, even though he has often been the culprit of bowling too full in T20s. Rabada’s value remains immense in the powerplay, especially for home matches. The pitches in Ahmedabad will suit his craft, since he can extract extra bounce and get good carry on red-soil wickets.
Glenn Phillips should be preferred ahead of Tom Banton and Kagiso Rabada for multiple reasons. Phillips has been more consistent than Banton, and the middle-order role comes naturally to him. At No.4, he shields other batters vulnerable against spin, apart from adding bowling value.
Banton has done reasonably well, but his innings construction in the middle order is still not as good as Phillips. The Kiwi player also has a stronger power game overall. The flat decks will help him thrive since he enjoys pace on the bat and possesses the power to hit hard lengths and play straighter.
Rabada’s exclusion remains due to high-quality Indian pace options in the Gujarat Titans’ squad. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are sure starters, while they also have Ishant Sharma and Ashok Sharma as other pacers. Jason Holder can bowl in the powerplay, and his yorker control and efficiency have been at an all-time high since last year.
Moreover, Kagiso Rabada is also highly vulnerable in T20s, and his numbers don’t exude enough confidence. He errs on his lengths often and remains highly expensive, so GT can’t use him much in slog overs. With Holder and Siraj already available, they can employ someone like Ishant to do the powerplay role without taking an overseas slot.
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