Can the Titans recover from their dismal start to the 2025/26 season?

Almost two months into the new 2025/26 domestic season and having played eight matches across two different formats, the Titans will be looking to save what is shaping up to be the team’s most dismal campaign yet.

In the South African domestic cricket scene, Titans cricket – and Northerns cricket at large – are synonymous with excellence. Over the years, the Centurion-based side has been the dominant force, winning multiple trophies across all three formats.

As a result, the team has produced and continues to produce numerous Proteas players. However, this season, the Titans have looked a shadow of the powerhouse the country has grown accustomed to.

The new era under coach Rivash Gobind has yet to spark into life. Since taking charge, Gobind’s team has managed just one victory – a Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 Challenge fixture against Division One newcomers the Tuskers, a result that came as little surprise given the opposition.

Beyond that solitary win, the Titans have suffered seven defeats: four in the CSA Four-Day Series and three in the T20 Challenge.

On paper, the Titans still boast a side capable of dominating anywhere in the country. The squad includes several players with international experience, among them Andile Phehlukwayo, Keegan Petersen and Roelof van der Merwe. On occasion, the prodigiously talented Lhuan-dre Pretorius has also been available, but even his presence has not been enough to arrest the team’s slide.

The Titans have simply been outplayed across formats this season.

On Thursday, they face the North West Dragons in their fifth CSA T20 Challenge fixture — a match that could well define their campaign. The Titans will be desperate to rediscover the form and standards that have long defined their cricketing identity.

With the T20 Challenge set to conclude in less than two weeks, time is running out fast.

Once that competition wraps up, the Titans will turn their attention back to the CSA Four-Day Series, where they will host the Dolphins at SuperSport Park in Centurion for their fifth of seven round-robin fixtures.

Should they fail to turn their fortunes around in the coming weeks, the Titans could be staring at the unthinkable — relegation.

Such an outcome would be more than a disappointment; it would be an embarrassment for Titans and Northerns cricket, institutions built on a legacy of success, consistency and high standards.