They have a purse of INR 12.90 crore.
Gujarat Titans will enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction with a purse of INR 12.90 crore. One of the gaps they will look to fill is the backup option for Jos Buttler. There will be a few names on the GT target players list for that role.
Jos Buttler had an impressive IPL 2025 for the Gujarat Titans, scoring 538 runs in 13 innings at an average of 59.77 and a strike rate of 163.03. He also kept wickets and did a fair job. The franchise will hope he continues this form next season.
But they also know that if Buttler has to miss some matches due to international duty or any other reason, they need a proper backup who can bat in the top order and also keep wickets. Thus, a few wicketkeeper batters are likely to be GT target players list.
One player who could be on the GT target players list is Kusal Mendis. When Jos Buttler was not available for the playoffs last season due to international duty, the Gujarat Titans brought in Mendis as his temporary replacement.
He played only one match for them and scored 20 runs off 10 balls in the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians. But the 2022 Champions had to release him on the retention deadline day due to the temporary replacement IPL rules.
Though he was released, the Titans might still try to buy him as a backup for Jos Buttler in the IPL 2026 auction. In 2025, Mendis scored 388 runs in 18 T20Is. In ODIs, he has 500 runs in 13 matches at an average of 38.46, so he has been in good form with the bat.
Earlier in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he scored 143 runs in five innings at an average of 35.75 and a strike rate of 168.23. Like Buttler, he can bat anywhere in the top order, making him a useful backup option and one of GT target players.
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Another player who could be on the GT target players list as a backup for Jos Buttler is Shai Hope. He went unsold in the mega auction last year, but his impressive performances this year could make him an attractive option in the IPL 2026 auction.
In T20Is this year, Shai Hope scored 556 runs in 19 matches at an average of 34.75. In ODIs, he has 670 runs in 15 matches at an average of 55.83. Not just in white-ball formats, he has also done well in Test cricket too, scoring 451 runs in six matches, including a century in his most recent game against New Zealand. Overall, he is the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket this year with 1,677 runs in 46 innings, only behind the Gujarat Titans skipper, Shubman Gill.
Hope has also done well in other T20 leagues as well. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he scored 491 runs in 12 matches at an average of 49.10 and finished as the top run scorer of the tournament.
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