IPL 2026 auction: Ashish Nehra discloses Gujarat Titans’ roadmap for squad building

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Gujarat Titans’ head coach Ashish Nehra has revealed the team’s strategy for the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. The mini-auctions, set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16, are pivotal for franchises like KKR, with a budget of Rs 64.30 crore, and Chennai Super Kings, who have Rs 43.40 crore, as they work on rebuilding their rosters. In contrast, the Titans are in a different position, needing to fill just five slots and entering the auction with a purse of Rs 12.90 crore, which ranks as the third lowest among the ten teams.

“Our core team is set and we have released only 4-5 players. So, we go into the auction with a very open mind. See, when you are making a team from scratch, like last year, it was a different kind of strategy. But right now, pretty much all the slots are filled. So, we’ll see what we get, the kind of purse we have because other teams have so much purse. So, you have to go with the flow during the auction,” Nehra said.

Examining the Titans’ current roster, when all players are healthy, they have ten positions filled by Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj.

For the final available spot, New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, who was retained over Sherfane Rutherford, is poised to step in as a powerful all-rounder, with Washington Sundar available as the Indian alternative.

“Like I said earlier, we go with an open mind. Our team is set. Rahul Tewatia, Shah Rukh Khan, Washington Sundar, and so many middle order batsmen already.

“If I’m not wrong, the highest purse, CSK has it. But they also need players. So, we are sitting in a very comfortable position,” he added.

GT’s Retained players: Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Kumar Kushagra, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Prasidh Krishna, R Sai Kishore, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar

Purse left: INR 12.90 crore

Also read| Shubman Gill’s form slump raises eyebrows, ex-India star calls it India’s ‘biggest worry’ before T20 World Cup

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