Toby Marshall
Gujarat Titans debuted in the Indian Premier League last year alongside Lucknow Super Giants. Not much was expected from the franchise as they were trying a new captain, Hardik Pandya. However, the team surpassed all expectations and had a dream debut by lifting the trophy. They will be starting the 2023 season as one of the favourites in the cricket odds. Playing in the 16th edition, the Titans will have the chance to name themselves in the league of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings by being the third team to win the title over two consecutive seasons.
Hardik Pandya & Men will be facing the Super Kings in the first match of the new T20 Championship season. The high-profile game of cricket will be conducted at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The team will be playing double games in the tournament against the likes of Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, and Rajasthan Royals.
The Titans dished out a spectacular performance in the league round during the 2022 season when they started with three wins on the bounce. Though the team lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were quick to bounce back and won the next five matches. Following a brilliant start, there were some hiccups for Gujarat as they lost three of their last seven games. However, the team ended up in the top place with 20 points to their name.
The first Qualifier match saw them defeat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets. The Titans scored 191 runs in 19.3 overs while following 189 run target. It was like a repeat telecast in the final as GT again won against the Royals by seven wickets. This time, Rajasthan collapsed at 130 runs as the debutant recorded a victory in 18.1 overs.
Hardik Panday-led side will be pumped up to replicate the same performance and record another win in the T20 Championship.
Gujarat Titans were one of the few teams in the IPL 2023 mini-auction that did not have many holes to fill. The team already had a solid squad at their disposal and they only needed some extra strength. The Titans released a total of six players ahead of the auction namely Lockie Ferguson, Dominic Drakes, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Varun Aaron, and Gurkeerat Singh. They had a purse of INR 19.25 crore to spend and the team included seven new players in the squad.
Their highest bids included the Indian seamer Shivam Mavi and the overseas player Joshua Little as the team spent INR 6 crores and INR 4.4 crores respectively. GT also acquired the services of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson at INR 2 crores. Odean Smith, K.S. Bharat, Urvil Patel, and Mohit Sharma are the four other players bought by the defending champions.
The 2022 season was Gujarat Titans lacking a bit on the batting front. The lower-middle-order batters like Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan had to often step up to help the franchise cross the winning line. However, the Titans have been successful in filling in that gap in the batting order. They have acquired the services of Kane Williamson and KS Bharat to have a more stable unit. Now, the defending champions have depth in the batting order alongside a solid top and middle order.
Further, Gujarat Titans also boast of having a brilliant bowling attack. The team’s spin attack is sorted because of the presence of Rashid Khan in the squad. They have solidified the seam unit as well with players like Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami, and Shivam Mavi.
While the team has picked a good batting unit, they will be missing an Indian batter in the middle order. There is also an over-dependency on Kane Williamson. It is now absolutely necessary for the Gujarat Titans to play the former Test Kiwi skipper in all the games. Moreover, Kane will have to step up and score the majority of runs for the side.
The Titans are over-dependent on another player and that is Rashid Khan. He is the main force for the team in the spin department. Any injury or poor form of the spinner can hamper the team’s chances as India is known for producing spin-friendly wickets.
Young rookies like Yash Dayal and Sai Kishore will be eager to take the field and establish themselves as dependable players. The two youngsters showed signs of brilliance last season as they played a vital role in the team’s success. It is now time for them to continue the momentum and churn out another scintillating season. The good performances in IPL 2023 can help them rise in the eyes of the Indian selectors and can increase their chances of an international debut.
Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya (c), Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Rahul Tewatia, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Mohit Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph
Shubman Gill, Abhinav Manohar, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore
Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacer, has successfully undergone surgery in New Zealand for his persistent back issues, which caused him to miss almost six months of international cricket. The 29-year-old star player missed the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in Australia last year due to this recurring back injury. His last appearance for Rohit Sharma's Team India was in September 2022.
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings defeated Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians by six wickets at the Chepauk stadium in Match 49 of the Indian Premier League. Deepak Chahar played a crucial role in restricting Mumbai to 34/3 in the Powerplay by picking up the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. Mumbai's Nehal Wadhera top-scored with a 51-ball 64 to help Mumbai reach a total of 139/8.
