Gujarat Titans player Glenn Phillips addressed the media in a press conference after their defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. Despite not being a part of the playing XI for the game, seeing him at the media briefing left many surprised. However, he answered all the questions well, including the one when he was asked by a reporter if seeing RCB put a massive 254 runs on the board meant GT had already admitted defeat in their minds beforehand.
“That’s a silly question. That is a really silly question. No one goes in there waiting to go, ‘Oh, you know what? We’re just going to give up on this one.’ Why would we do that as professional cricketers? That’s a terrible question. We went out there, we gave it everything. Unfortunately, when you’re trying to chase 250, everything has to go right. And we went out there to try and make everything go right, and obviously it didn’t,” he said.
GT were eventually bowled out for a score of 162, facing a 92-run defeat in the process. With GT’s top-order trio of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler all getting out early, Phillips stated that the intense scoreboard pressure heavily dictated the batting order collapse as well.
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“There’s a huge amount of scoreboard pressure when you’re trying to chase 250. And, you know, very few teams have done it. Obviously, Punjab Kings have managed to do it a couple of times, which has been phenomenal. And I think they’ve maybe made it seem easier than it is. I’ve yet to be part of a team that’s gotten anywhere near 250, so, you know, sometimes it just is what it is,” he said.
A reporter also asked him if it felt weird to be addressing the media despite not playing in the match.
In reply, Phillips said: “No, that’s fine, that’s fine. It’s all good. Yeah, obviously we’re all part of the team together, and we all have equal media roles to play. I think sometimes an outside perspective from someone who isn’t playing the game, especially for the guys that have to now go and play an Eliminator [helps]. It’s really important for them to just knuckle down, get their heads where they need to be. Obviously, we’ve played a lot of good cricket leading up to now, so for the boys that are on the park, you know, do what they have to do to make sure they’re ready for the next game. As Ash [Ashish Nehra] says, ‘chill pill,’ make sure they’re ready for the next one,” he concluded.
