The Gujarat Titans felt like a team of misfits, of players that no other franchise really wanted. Yet, something clicked for them in 2022.
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It is one thing to win a tournament once, it is a completely different thing to defend that crown. For the Gujarat Titans (GT), their second season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will undoubtedly prove to be a lot harder than their first. Harsha Bhogle said it best in an program with CricBuzz. The Gujarat Titans felt like a team of misfits, of players that no other franchise really wanted. Yet, something clicked for them in 2022, and the team led by Hardik Pandya defied all the odds to be crowned IPL champions in their very first season in the league. The only other franchise to have done that is Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural season of the biggest franchise cricket competition in the world.
So what have the defending champions done to improve their team? Well, not that much, but do they really need to? Of course there have been a few new additions. Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, Kane Williamson and KS Bharat to name a few. Their purchase of Mavi was questioned since he cost INR 6 crore, but it might turn out to be a smart decision as the availability of an Indian pacer will open up a lot of options for Hardik when he goes to stadiums with different kinds of pitches. With all that in mind, here are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the Titans.
The Gujarat Titans boast of an incredible batting lineup that seems to have this perfect mix of sensibility and flat out power hitting. The likes of Shubman Gill and Kane Williamson are more than capable of giving a good platform to the middle order to come and do their job. If the Kiwi is out of form, there is Matthew Wade who can fill that role as well. Then comes the absolutely destructive David Miller. Other batting options include skipper Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha, Rahul Tewatia, Sai Sudharshan and Abhinav Manohar. Basically, a ton of options.
Their bowling department is stacked as well with players like Alzarri Joseph, Mohammad Shami, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Yash Dayal and Noor Ahmad. And with a player like Rashid Khan, who is one of the best turners of the ball in the shortest format of the game, they have an incredibly secure bowling attack.
There are no apparent weaknesses when one looks at the Gujarat Titans side on paper at first glance. However, one problem, and this is a subjective opinion, could be that there is no Indian batter to open with Shubman who has as much experience. However, that weakness can be turned into an opportunity if one of the new Indian faces can step up to the task and make a name for themselves.
Becoming only the third franchise to successfully defend the IPL title sounds like one hell of an opportunity for the Titans. Apart from that, there will be chances for a lot of the new Indian faces that have come in, especially the likes of KS Bharat, Sai Sudarshan and Shivam Mavi, who will surely get enough opportunities to show just how good they are on the big stage.
The team will be paying close attention to managing the workload of India’s senior players in the squad, including pacer Shami and captain Hardik. Both players have previously sustained injuries in the recent past.
