Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has backed Washington Sundar to deliver the goods while batting at number four for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. Sundar has shown the right promise to shine while batting in the top order and he can definitely be handy for GT.
The left-hander recently batted at one drop for India in the opening Test match against South Africa and returned with scores of 29 and 31 on a difficult pitch in Kolkata.
Sundar scored 133 runs in five innings at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 166.25 in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have traded out Sherfane Rutherford to Mumbai Indians for INR 2.60 crore ahead of the upcoming auction.
“Gujarat let Sherfane Rutherford go. You and I wondered as to what they are doing. It was their second trade with Mumbai (with Hardik Pandya being the first). You ask why they are doing so. They realized that they already have Glenn Phillips, who is better than Sherfane, as the latter has problems against wide yorkers,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“So there are known problems there, and they wanted to keep a bigger role for Washington Sundar. I am convinced that Washington Sundar will also get to bat higher. He will bat up the order wherever he goes. Keep the No. 4 position for him. He will consistently bat there. He might even come at No. 3 at times. A left-hander might come if a left-hander gets out,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans also released South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee but Chopra reckons the franchise did the right thing in retaining Kagiso Rabada as he would have been on KKR’s radar.
“Apart from that, they have released Gerald Coetzee. There were discussions about whether Kagiso Rabada would be released. If Kagiso Rabada had gone into the auction, KKR might have taken him, as they have money. If you have someone for ₹10.75 crore, you might have had to spend more to reacquire him, or might not have been able to buy him at all. It wouldn’t have been a great strategy,” he said.
The renowned commentator believes GT doesn’t need to buy many players in the IPL 2026 auction, as they already have a settled unit.
“They do have the money, but they don’t have to shop much. They released Karim Janat, who needed to be let go. They do have the money to buy a few players, but I am not expecting radical changes. I don’t see them going into a mad buying spree. Their team is already ready,” Chopra observed.
The IPL 2026 auction is likely to be scheduled on December 15.
