"Keep the No. 4 position for him" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans heading into IPL 2026 auction

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Gujarat Titans (GT) potentially took the right call in letting go of Sherfane Rutherford ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. He highlighted that the No. 4 batting position can now be reserved for Washington Sundar, with the spin-bowling all-rounder potentially batting even at No. 3 occasionally.

GT traded Rutherford to the Mumbai Indians (MI) for his existing price of ₹2.60 crore. They released five more players ahead of the auction, with Gerald Coetzee (₹2.40 crore) being the most expensive among them.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reckoned that Rutherford's release implies that the Gujarat Titans have realized that Glenn Phillips is a better option as an overseas middle-order batter, with Washington now virtually guaranteed the No. 4 batting position.

"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. (5:25).

"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.

Washington Sundar played only six games for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. He scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 166.25 in five innings and picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 10.24 in 10.5 overs.

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"KKR might have taken him" - Aakash Chopra on the Gujarat Titans retaining Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada played only four games for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that the Gujarat Titans were right in retaining Kagiso Rabada, highlighting that they might not have been able to reacquire the South African seamer for a lower price at the auction.

"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. (6:30).

To conclude, the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the Shubman Gill-led side has a decent remaining purse and doesn't need to shop much.

"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 Gujarat Titans have a remaining purse of ₹12.90 crore heading into the IPL 2026 auction. They can acquire at most five players, including four overseas.