IPL 2026 may have started only last week, but the debate is already going on in full swing. Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) started their campaign with a thrilling three-wicket win over Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mullanpur on March 31.
After a tense finale of IPL 2026 at the new Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium, former Indian batsman and cricket expert Aakash Chopra has criticized Shubman Gill’s captaincy after Gujarat Titans PBKS failed to get a win over Gujarat despite being in good shape. However, he was impressed by Shreyas Iyer’s leadership.
Aakash Chopra lauds PBKS for maintaining peace after record win
Aakash Chopra praised the way Punjab Kings started the IPL 2026 season. He explained how last season’s finalists prepared for this season and registered their sixth consecutive opening match win in IPL history. He appreciated how Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS did not panic at any point.
Also read: “Appreciate that you care”: Phil Salt praises Dinesh Karthik, takes subtle dig at Brendon McCullum
“In a tournament like IPL, you don’t think much about the two points you have earned; you take them and move on. There will always be learning, but it is far better to learn after a win than after a loss,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports’ Cricket Live.
Chopra impressed with Shreyas Iyer’s smart bowling against Gujarat Titans
The JioStar panelist also praised the bowling performance of Punjab Kings against the Titans. He also praised Shreyas Iyer for the way he used five bowlers and rotated them when needed. Cooper Connolly (72* off 44 balls) also earned praise for finishing the match for the hosts.
The commentator further added, “There were a lot of positives, especially in the bowling; it was spot on. Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy was also brilliant, he used only five bowlers and rotated them smartly. A young Australian batsman, Cooper Connolly, came in and took center stage to take the team home. Yes, they could have finished the game earlier, but in the end, it is the two points that matter. By the end of the season, people will only be talking about points and net run-rate. Will talk about it, not how you got them.”
Aakash Chopra criticizes Gujarat Titans’ top-order failure
Speaking about Gujarat Titans’ poor planning and confusing decisions, Chopra was not really impressed with Shubman Gill’s captaincy. He said that the top three batsmen of Titans are not giving solid starts to the team, which puts unnecessary pressure on the middle order.
The former Indian batsman also criticized Glenn Phillips, saying that his 25 is surprisingly still his IPL score and Washington is handsome. The Indian all-rounder scored 18 runs in 16 balls and Chopra warned GT that his slow scoring rate was becoming his weakness.
Also read: Arjun Tendulkar on disappointment with Mumbai Indians: “Nobody wants to sit on the bench”
GT needs to rethink its middle-order: Chopra
He also raised questions on the selection of Shahrukh Khan in place of Kumar Kushagra. Chopra believes that Gill and the Titans team management should seriously rethink their middle-order combination as the current structure does not look strong enough under pressure.
Chopra said during the same discussion, “You would like Phillips to contribute more consistently, and Sundar also needs to score runs at a pace as he looked a bit stuck. They have continued with Shahrukh Khan, but I thought Kumar Kushagra also has a selection issue. GT needs to rethink how their 4, 5 and 6 are structured.”
Chopra raised questions on Shubman Gill’s captaincy
However, Chopra suffered the biggest blow from Gujarat’s bowling decisions. In comparison to Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, he felt that Gill’s decision making ability was not good at all, adding that such tactical mistakes put extra pressure on the bowlers and that is what happened against PBKS.
He signed off by saying, “Even the bowling plans were a surprise. Siraj still had two overs left when the game was almost over and Prasidh Krishna was brought in too late. Overall, Shubman Gill’s captaincy was also not up to expectations.”
