Gujarat Titans' X-Factor Players Who Can Win Them IPL 2026 Title

Gujarat Titans x-factor players for IPL 2026 [Source: AFP]

The former IPL champions, Gujarat Titans, in search of their second title, will start their IPL 2026 campaign on March 31 against the IPL 2025 runner-ups, Punjab Kings.

They will start the tournament with captain Shubman Gill having a chip on his shoulder to prove himself as a T20 batter after he was dropped from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad. Last year, despite being on course to finish in the top-2, the Gujarat Titans finished at number 3 before being knocked out of the Eliminator.

Ahead of IPL 2026, they have made some important additions and tweaks to the squad to back their record of making the playoffs 3/4 times and to bid for the title. So, here’s a brief look at the Gujarat Titans’ x-factor stars who can help them to lift the IPL 2026 trophy.

1. Rashid Khan

For years, Rashid Khan has been among the most feared spinners in T20 cricket and his 24 balls are played by utmost caution by the batting side. Since GT’s inception in 2022, no other bowler has picked more wickets for the franchise, and just days ahead of IPL 2026, the leg-spinner has also become the first-ever bowler to pick 700 wickets in T20 cricket.

On his days, he can run through the opposition batting line-up, but what is evident in his 6.58 career economy is that he also builds pressure from one end, which also helps bowlers from the other end scalp wickets. Although he wasn’t at his best with the ball in the last season, he remains central to GT’s chances to lift the IPL 2026 trophy.

With the bat, he is closing in on 3000 T20 runs at a strike rate of 147.18, which can be game-changing for someone batting at 7 or 8. He has also previously contributed to GT’s wins with the bat, and a similar could be seen in IPL 2026.

2. Glenn Phillips

Having warmed the bench in the IPL for a couple of years, it is finally time that Glenn Phillips could get a nod and play as a starter in the XI. He will come in to replace Sherfane Rutherford in this team and try to live up to his reputation of batting with high intent in the middle overs.

He has played in India for a couple of months now and batted at a strike rate of 173.2, averaging 39 in T20s in 2026. Apart from his batting blitz, he can bowl off-spin and has a knack for picking wickets at crucial junctures. Phillips’ fielding also makes him an x-factor player for his ability to pull off world-class catches at hotspots to turn the momentum of the game.

In a nutshell, Phillips is a ceiling raiser in every department, especially with the inexperienced batting order that they have. He will be a key figure if they want to win IPL 2026.

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(Glenn Phillips in All T20s in 2026)

3. Jason Holder

One of the best buys made by the Gujarat Titans in the auction for IPL 2026 was the West Indies star Jason Holder for INR 7 crore. The Caribbean has significantly improved his T20 bowling across phases, especially in the death overs, now bowls a very good slower ball, and is very confident in his execution.

Since the start of 2025, no other bowler has picked more wickets than him in the format. He has 111 wickets in 80 innings and sometimes goes on a wicket-taking spree, which is evident with the 7 four-fers he has taken in this period. Notably, 64 of these 111 scalps have come in the death overs.

(Jason Holder's bowling in All T20s since January 2025)

In addition to his exceptional bowling, he has also embraced his role as a finisher and has scored over 1000 runs at a strike rate of 162, which was also evident in the recent T20 World Cup. If he gets going in the IPL 2026 season, GT fans are in for a treat to witness some Caribbean flair in their team.

(Jason Holder's batting in All T20s since January 2025)

Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 squad

Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Anuj Rawat (wk), Tom Banton (wk), Arshad Khan, Glenn Phillips, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Kishore, Ashok Sharma, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Luke Wood.

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