3 players GT must target at the IPL 2026 auction ft. Liam Livingstone

The Gujarat Titans (GT) are on the back of a decent Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. They made the playoffs after a solid showing in the league stage, and although their form tapered off towards the business end, there was enough to suggest that they can continue in the same vein next year.

The Titans don't have much purse to play around with at the IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday, December 16. However, they do have key roles to fill in the middle order, with a number of overseas slots up for grabs as well.

Players released: Sherfane Rutherford (traded to MI), Dasun Shanaka, Gerald Coetzee, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mahipal Lomror

Players retained: 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

On that note, here are three players GT must target at the IPL 2026 auction.

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#3 Liam Livingstone

2025 IPL: Final - Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings - Source: Getty

Recent reports indicate that Liam Livingstone might not come cheap enough for GT to buy, but he's certainly someone they can go for. The Englishman's pace-hitting ability will be perfect for the Titans' middle order, with the team needing someone who can strike big blows down the order.

Livingstone will fill the gap vacated by Sherfane Rutherford, who was curiously traded to the Mumbai Indians despite playing some high-impact knocks for the Titans. With just under ₹13 crore to spare, though, Gujarat might not be able to secure his services.

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#2 Vignesh Puthur

2025 IPL - Lucknow Super Giants v Mumbai Indians - Source: Getty

GT, at the moment, don't have an Indian wrist-spinner. They have many finger-spin options on the roster, apart from Rashid Khan of course. But the Titans could use a quality domestic backup.

Vignesh Puthur is a name they could consider. The Kerala man clearly has a long future ahead of him in the IPL, and given Ahmedabad's long boundaries and nature of the pitch, the left-arm wrist-spinner could be an interesting choice.

Puthur certainly wouldn't start for Gujarat, but he'd give them an interesting impact player option both home and away.

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#1 David Miller

2025 IPL - Lucknow Super Giants v Delhi Capitals - Source: Getty

It seems inevitable that GT will attempt to reacquire their former player, David Miller. The southpaw, who has been released by the Lucknow Super Giants, is probably as close to a like-for-like replacement for Rutherford as the franchise can manage.

Miller is closer to the end of his career than the start, but his experience will work well at GT. The coaching staff will know him well, having worked with him during the previous auction cycle. Moreover, the South African's big-hitting ability and robustness against matchups make him a valuable option for a team that can afford to play an overseas batter.