The Gujarat Titans have a complete squad at their disposal, even though they won’t have the services of ex-skipper Hardik Pandya this season.
To fill that void, GT strengthened their middle order by buying Shahrukh Khan for a hefty sum and availing the services of Afghanistan’s star performer in the 2023 World Cup, Azmatullah Omarzai. Apart from that, GT didn’t make many changes to their personnel, signalling great continuity.
GT squad: David Miller, Shubman Gill (c), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Robin Minz
From the squad GT has managed to put up after the auction, we will dissect their possible playing XI when they take the field for the first match.
Shubman Gill and the veteran Indian keeper-batsman Saha had a great year together as an opening pair in the 2023 edition, where GT reached the final for the second successive time. While Gill won the orange cap with a whopping 890 runs, Saha made 371 runs in the campaign, and the Titans will most likely continue with the same combination. Shubman Gill is slated to lead the GT team following the departure of Hardik Pandya.
Sai Sudharsan was a revelation for the Titans last season, and his knock of 96 almost sealed the game for them against CSK in the final. At this moment, GT will likely want a solid middle-order batter at No. 4, either Kane Williamson or Vijay Shankar, before David Miller can come to launch the attack. Shahrukh, one of GT’s high-profile purchases at the auction, will slot in the middle order.
Rahul Tewatia may have to bowl more than he did in the last season due to being one of the few all-rounders in the side. His batting capabilities in the death overs, along with his usefulness with the ball, will be handy for GT.
There is little doubt in anyone’s mind as to who is the best spinner when it comes to T20 cricket, and we need not go beyond Rashid Khan. He is an integral part of the GT team and will be the specialist spinner alongside IPL 2023’s top 2 wicket-takers, Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma. Spencer Johnson, who was brought by GT for a whopping 10 crore, will slot in as the overseas pacer.
Also Read | What makes Rashid Khan unplayable? (The Four Killing Factors)
Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmed found success in the last edition, picking up 16 wickets, and he could be the impact player if GT decides to go with 3 overseas players in the playing XI. Else Sai Kishore is a good option, giving them a second specialist spinner.
GT Probable Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Kane Williamson/Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Spencer Johnson, Mohit Sharma, Mohammad Shami
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