Shahrukh having fun at Gujarat Titans with newfound role clarity

Of the six times M Shahrukh Khan has batted at No. 4 in the IPL, only thrice has he faced 20 or more deliveries. In the IPL 2025 match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad, he walked in at the end of the tenth over with Gujarat Titans (GT) 94 for 2. Shahrukh hit four fours and two sixes and finished with 36 off just 20 balls. His dismissal was also in a bid to take on positive match-up Maheesh Theekshana. It is the role clarity with GT that allowed him to flourish.

"My role was pretty clear when they retained me itself - that I will be batting at No. 4 or 5," Shahrukh said on the eve of the match against Lucknow Super Giants. "There is also the thing about left-right combination. Before this game, Sai [Sudharsan] had gotten out early, so [Sherfane] Rutherford had gone in at No. 4. That's how the combination works. But it was fun to bat at No. 4, [I] got some time [to get set]. Game time is important going forward in the tournament."

With GT's top-order firing consistently, their middle-order has had little to do in the five games so far. The one time they did have to chip in, it served GT well as they romped to the top of the points table. Apart from Shahrukh, Rahul Tewatia, batting at No. 6, scored an unbeaten 24 off 12 balls.

"The top three is getting the bulk of the runs," Shahrukh said. "But there will be a situation, where wickets do fall. That's what our preparation been like since camps started. As middle order, we are ready for any situation that comes to us. Good thing is that in the last game a lot of got batting. So even if wickets fall, we are well-prepared to do our job."

One of the stars of the GT side this year has been left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore. With Rashid Khan being the only other specialist spinners in the rank - after Noor Ahmad was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the auction - Sai Kishore has got ample chances to play. He has revelled in that and the numbers are proof - ten wickets (joint second) in five matches with an economy rate of 7.25 and an average of 13.30. He has not just bowled more than Rashid this season but also picked up more wickets than the Afghan spinner.

"He's always been a fantastic bowler," Shahrukh said of his Tamil Nadu team-mate. "Just because he has not got many games under his belt, doesn't mean he's lesser than somebody else in the team. He's always been bowling this way, and has got the opportunity now over a period of time to show what he is, and what skill he has in his kitty."

Before IPL 2025, Sai Kishore had played just the ten games across two seasons. This is after being on the bench at CSK since 2020. He has showed off his wares, including the mystery element by making use of the carrom ball.

"I have played a lot with him at Tamil Nadu and the way he has done for Tamil Nadu is exceptional," Shahrukh said. "He's continuing the same form here. As a team-mate and state-mate, I am very happy for him the way he is doing. The ball is coming out of his hand really well. I haven't seen him bowl this brilliantly with so much of control. Hardly any loose balls in this tournament. It is good to see, I am very happy for him."