Gujarat Titans (GT), one of the two new teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, were acquired for a whopping INR 5,625 crores by CVC Capital Partners. They appointed Hardik Pandya, local to the state, as captain, paying him INR 15 crores per season, and Ashish Nehra as the coach.
After two gruelling days in the auction, GT almost emptied their purse to pile up a squad of 23 cricketers. A first look at it gives you a mixed impression. At first, it reads like an ensemble cast of superstars. Then there are some popular names. But wait, many of them haven’t set IPL alight in the past. Now, who are some of these unheard picks?
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In 2008, when Rajasthan Royals (RR) picked up their first squad, it gave a similar impression. As coach and captain, Warne created magic with the blend as they won the first IPL. Like RR of 2008, GT have invested in skills, youth and experience. If everything remains constant, GT have most bases covered. But then, the IPL-occasion syndrome has impacted the biggest of players.
Gujarat Titans squad (prices in INR crores):
- Batters: Shubman Gill (8), Jason Roy (2.), David Miller (3), Abhinav Manohar (2.6).
- Bowlers: Rashid Khan (15), Alzarri Joseph (2.4), Lockie Ferguson (10), Mohammed Shami (6.25), Varun Aaron (0.5), Noor Ahmad (0.3), Yash Dayal (3.2), R. Sai Kishore (3).
- All-rounders: Hardik Pandya – captain (15), Darshan Nalkande (0.2), Sai Sudarshan (0.2), Pradeep Sangwan (0.2), Rahul Tewatia (9), Jayant Yadav (1.7), Vijay Shankar (1.4), Gurkeerat Mann (0.5), Dominic Drakes (1.1).
- Wicketkeepers: Wriddhiman Saha (1.9), Matthew Wade (2.4).
Strengths: The spin-bowling department is GT’s strength. Rashid will be at the centre of their bowling plans, and they have good spinners (finger and wrist) to complement him. There bowling has variety. While Rashid and Tewatia are leg-spinners, Jayant is an off-spinner, Noor bowls left-arm wrist-spin, and there is left-arm orthodox Sai Kishore, who can potentially end up being the star of the tournament. He has a T20 economy rate of 5.46 to go with an average of 17.4.
While spin is their strength, they also have quality pacers to partner with the tweakers. The pace battery has the experience of Ferguson and Shami. Picked for INR 10 crores, Ferguson consistently clocks over 150kph, has an excellent bouncer and is very accurate. West Indies’ Joseph is another rising star in international cricket who has evolved as an intelligent bowler. Hardik, Drakes and Dayal add to the variety.
From Shane Watson to Andre Russell to Ben Stokes to Sunil Narine, we have witnessed how all-rounders have made a massive impact in the past tournaments. Gujarat have nine all-rounders in their squad.
Another strong point of the new franchise is their top order. They have two quality batters in Gill and Roy at the top of the order. If they have to alter their batting strategy, they have more than capable openers in their wicketkeepers, Wade and Saha.
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Contrary to popular beliefs of being lucky to be picked in the IPL auction, Miller had an excellent 2021 in T20Is, striking at 150 and averaging over 47. Along with Hardik and Tewatia, Miller’s presence bolsters the batting in the slog overs.
Most teams that have settled foreign players do well in the tournament. In Rashid, Roy and Ferguson, GT have three potential match-winning foreign players who should be the regular starters.
Players to watch out for: Hardik, Gill, Rashid, Ferguson, Roy, Drakes and Sai Kishore.
Weakness: Their overall batting looks vulnerable. There is too much reliance on the top order, as the middle order looks brittle with an unproven Indian contingent. Though experienced, Gurkeerat and Shankar have not proved themselves in the tournament so far. If they open with Saha or Wade, Gill can drop to three to bring some stability.
For Hardik, there is no cushion of Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya to allow him to express himself as freely as he usually does.
Saha, the better wicketkeeper, is likely to be preferred by the likes of Rashid. However, to make the best use of Saha’s batting, he will have to open. Meanwhile, Wade gives a dual option, that of an opener or a finisher.
Concerns: Ferguson, Shami and Joseph, GT’s primary fast bowlers, are all prone to injuries, as is Hardik.
Barring that, their batting remains a concern with a lot of dependence on Gill, Roy and Hardik. Let alone being first-XI starters, most of their players are also doubtful picks at the auction table.
There is enough experience in Shankar, Gurkeerat, Sangwan and Jayant, none have set alight any of the previous editions of IPL.
However, we have seen strange things happening in the IPL. Hardik, alongside Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten, will have to galvanise the Ahmedabad-based outfit like how Shane Warne did with RR in 2008.
Gujarat Titans likely XI: Shubman Gill, Jason Roy, Gurkeerat Singh, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson
or
Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jason Roy, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson.