Former Chennai Tremendous Kings batter Anirudha Srikkanth believes a Kolkata Knight Riders star may very well be the lacking piece in Gujarat Titans' batting lineup for the 2026 IPL season. Regardless of one other sturdy marketing campaign that noticed them attain the playoffs for the third time in 4 years, Gujarat Titans' middle-order troubles had been evident all through the 2025 season. Their high three, that includes the electrical Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, all crossed the 500-run mark, however the remainder of the batting group struggled to make an influence. Talking on Star Sports activities forward of the retention deadline, Anirudha stated, “A really perfect match for GT will likely be Venkatesh Iyer. He has gone for 23.75 crores so KKR will certainly launch him. He will likely be good for GT on the No. 4 place. GT have all the opposite positions lined. No different place is free. GT is definitely a really settled group. They're solely lacking a batter in that place.” Venkatesh Iyer endured a troublesome 2025 season with KKR, managing simply 142 runs in 11 matches. His type, coupled with KKR's inconsistent marketing campaign, noticed the group end eighth within the standings with solely 5 wins. Nevertheless, the left-hander has beforehand been one in every of KKR's most dependable performers. He performed a key function of their title-winning run in 2024, scoring 370 runs at a strike fee near 159, and had additionally racked up his highest whole of 404 runs within the 2023 season.
Ballot
Do you assume Venkatesh Iyer can be match for Gujarat Titans' center order?
Earlier, former Australian batter Matthew Hayden had additionally identified Gujarat's over-reliance on their high order. “Gujarat Titans have a incredible high order with captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who had been the highest-scoring opening pair final season. Nevertheless, their center order struggled closely, with solely Jos Buttler performing constantly,” the Australian stated on JioStar. GT, who completed third within the league stage with 9 wins from 14 matches, are anticipated to make key changes on the mini-auction. Strengthening their center order stays the group's high precedence heading into IPL 2026.
