The Ahmedabad franchise, led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, will make its debut at Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Follow Us
Gujarat Titans will make its foray into the Indian Premier League (IPL) in its upcoming season. The Ahmedabad-based franchise, thus, becomes the second after the now defunct Gujarat Lions (2016 and 2017) to feature in the lucrative tournament. Gujarat-native and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya who rose to fame for his performance with the bat and ball, has been tasked to lead the franchise in IPL 2022.
The task will be cut out for Pandya as his ability as a captain still remains an area to be explored. The franchise, however, looked to pick up an all-round squad to cover all bases and will be looking to get the best out of their players.
The franchise is also expected to be largely benefitted from their think-tank which consists of former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra, who is the head coach of the team, and 2011 World Cup-winning coach for India Gary Kirsten, serving in the mentorship role.
READ MORE: IPL 2022 Schedule: Full List of Fixtures
Gujarat Titans looked to approach the IPL mega auction with a clear mindset and brought in a combination of experience and young Indian talents who will have a chance to prove their mettle in the upcoming edition.
The Ahmedabad-based franchise had picked up Pandya, prolific spinner and slogger Rashid Khan and India opener Shubman Gill ahead of the auction from a remaining lot of unretained players.
The franchise, then, went on to add weight to their side by picking up the services of experienced India fast bowler Mohammed Shami for Rs. 6.25 crore and wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha for 1.90 crore who can be explored as an opening option.
Read More: Jason Roy Pulls out of IPL 2022 for Gujarat Titans
Meanwhile, among the foreign players contingent, the franchise went for fast bowler Lockie Ferguson (Rs 10 crore), hard-hitting batter David Miller (Rs 3 crore) and West Indies bowler Alzarri Joseph (Rs 2.4 crore).
Chosen players: Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill
Players bought in auction: Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron, B Sai Sudharshan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Gujarat Titans will be relying on top-order batters Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha to give them a head start. Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with a strike rate of over 137 in the shortest format of the game, will have a chance to make the most of his opportunity after being brought in as a replacement for English batter Jason Roy.
Pandya, meanwhile, will be the key in the middle-order with his ability to play cameo knocks which could help his side finish off the match along with Miller while veteran fast bowler Shami will look to provide early breakthroughs besides being dependent on in the death overs.
The major strength of the Gujarat Titans squad is their hard-hitting batters — Pandya, Miller, Wade, Rahul Tewatia — who have the proven abilities of chipping in with cameo knocks and their spinners like R Sai Kishore and experienced Jayant Yadav who can change the dimension of the match alongside their spin-ace Rashid.
However, their major concern lies in top-order, as Gujarat Titans will miss out on firepower who can be relied on scoring at 10 to 12 runs per over and maintain consistency with the likes of Gill, Saha, Abhinav Sadarangani in charge of the proceedings.
Read More: IPL 2022 to Have Two Virtual Groups
Their pace battery also looks weak as apart from Shami there are hardly any fast bowlers who can be relied on to block the flow of runs in the shortest format of the game.
One of the major highlights will also be Pandya’s inability to bowl like his peak days which he would look to overcome throughout the season with his place also at stake for the national team.
The major opportunity for the Ahmedabad-based franchise will be to find the right balance for their team in the maiden season of the IPL. However, Gujarat Titans, can look like a threatening side on spin friendly tracks where they can take on the challenge to their opposition.
Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron, B Sai Sudharshan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
