Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has flagged a tactical error by Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill during his side's one-run win over the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, April 8.
The win opened GT's IPL 2026 account, but Pathan took issue with the last over of the powerplay. Gill turned to uncapped pacer Ashok Sharma against the set pair of KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka, with the duo scoring 23 runs off that over.
"Bowling Rashid in the powerplay was a good call. But they brought in Ashok for the last over. I felt that was a big mistake. KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka like pace. This guy gives pace, but the pitch was not suitable for that. If you give the last over of the powerplay to an inexperienced bowler on a black soil pitch, it is a mistake," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
The slip, however, did not cost the game. Defending 211, GT leaned on Prasidh Krishna at the death, with the pacer holding DC to 12 runs in the final over. Rashid Khan had set up the defence earlier with 3 for 17, dismissing Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi and Axar Patel.
"The biggest positive for Gujarat was Rashid Khan's form. Rashid Khan's leg spin turned a lot. He got a lot of spin in his first over. Now, when he gets so much turn on the leg spin, it makes the googly even more dangerous," Pathan said in praise of the Afghanistan star.
Rashid was named Player of the Match and has now taken five wickets in three games this season at an economy of 7.08. The 2022 champions had the senior spinner dictating from one end. That, to Pathan, is why handing the final powerplay over to an uncapped bowler on a black-soil pitch never made sense.
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The Titans sit sixth in the IPL 2026 standings and face the Lucknow Super Giants next at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday, April 12, in an afternoon fixture.