Gujarat Titans, together with fellow debutant Lucknow Super Giants, are the brand new children on the block at this 12 months’s Indian Premier League (IPL). With the IPL increasing to 10 groups for its fifteenth season, there was a mega public sale on February 12 and 13 the place each crew had an opportunity to strengthen their squads.
Even earlier than the public sale Gujarat Titans signalled their arrival after they roped in Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their captain for Rs 15 crore through the draft. Apart from Pandya, the 2 different gamers that the Titans drafted have been former Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Rashid Khan for Rs 15 crore and younger Indian batter Shubman Gill for Rs 7 crore.
At the public sale desk, they bought New Zealand quick bowler Lockie Ferguson for Rs 10 crore and Indian all-rounder Rahul Tewatia for Rs 9 crore. Next, they picked up Mohammed Shami for Rs 6.25 crore which is able to show to be a shrewd signing as Shami was one of the vital sought out gamers earlier than the public sale.
The Titans additionally purchased gamers like Matthew Wade, David Miller and Alzarri Joseph in addition to skilled cricketers like Wriddhiman Saha, Vijay Shankar and Pradeep Sangwan. Even although they suffered a blow when England batter Jason Roy was dominated out from the IPL, they shortly changed him with Afghan cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who would possibly show to be an impressive signing, if his kind for his nation is something to go by.
Enthusiasm, power and positivity. Great session on the market with the boys 💯💪 @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/Lv14KQLWCo
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 21, 2022
Strengths:
From a better take a look at the Titans squad, it’s clear to see that their bowling unit will probably be their greatest energy on this version of the IPL. Having Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson of their squad, the Titans have already got a ready-made quick bowling pair who will get them off to a superb begin towards the batters from the opposite franchises.
However, the ace up their sleeve will probably be Rashid Khan who’s a seasoned T20 journeyman and has given nightmares to lots of batters across the globe. He has additionally been fairly first rate IPL file, having taken 18 wickets in 14 matches within the final version.
Say Cheese… Khakhra! 📸😀#SeasonOfFirsts #AavaDe@hardikpandya7, @Wriddhipops, @rahultewatia02, @NalkandeDarshan, @Dommie_48 pic.twitter.com/HxGZMdKIqv
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 21, 2022
In their batting division former KKR opener Shubman Gill might show to be a masterstroke. Even although he’s removed from the completed product, he nonetheless has the flexibility at hand the Titans a whirlwind begin to their innings. Very a lot a signing with a watch on the longer term, this one. They even have Hardik Pandya, who on his day, is among the most explosive batters round.
Weaknesses:
One of the Titans’ biggest strengths might additionally turn into their biggest weak point in the case of Hardik Pandya. Even although he is among the most sought-after cricketers on the earth, luck has not been on Hardik’s aspect. With a profession riddled with accidents and inconsistent batting performances in the previous few years, this was a giant cut price for the Titans they usually hope that it could actually repay.
Train arduous, play tougher! 💪
Now that the coaching is underway, #TATAIPL ne #AavaDe!#SeasonOfFirsts #GujaratTitans pic.twitter.com/pDpJ2UTPzW
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 18, 2022
The Titans will even hope that Rahmanullah Gurbaz can fill the outlet left by Jason Roy of their already weak batting lineup. Their center order can also be one thing that doesn’t encourage confidence even with the likes of David Miller, Matthew Wade and Vijay Shankar, who’re nice gamers however their IPL kind have been patchy.
Opportunities:
Gujarat Titans are a brand new crew in order that they have an IPL clear slate, which implies the opposite franchises don’t have any thought what to anticipate from them. Titans can have the ingredient of shock on their aspect after they take the sector towards their opponents. They will even not be burdened with lofty expectations this time round as that is their debut season. They can have the chance to seek out their ft on this season and construct on that for the following few editions.
Former India participant Wriddhiman Saha will even be chomping on the bits to show that he nonetheless has it to be part of a high crew. After being unceremoniously dropped from the Indian Test crew, Saha will hope that his redemption arc begins from IPL 15.
Isko kaise Saha jaaye?! 😍
Wriddhi’s bat stream 🔥 #AavaDe #SeasonOfFirsts pic.twitter.com/2I5wUup2AY
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 19, 2022
Threats:
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy will probably be below the radar on this season’s IPL, with the Titans hoping that he can convey out the most effective from his crew and himself. With skilled captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma within the match, Pandya might want to up his captaincy recreation if he has any probability of competing with the easiest. Even although, his captaincy is not going to be below any rapid menace if the marketing campaign goes haywire, it’ll nonetheless put him on skinny ice for the following few years.
Gujarat Titans squad: Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmed, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Dominic Drakes, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Varun Aaron, B Sai Sudharshan
March 28: Gujarat Titans vs Lucknow Super Giants (Wankhede Stadium)
April 2: Gujarat Titans vs Delhi Capitals (MCA Stadium, Pune)
April 8: Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans (Brabourne Stadium – CCI)
April 11: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans (DY Patil Stadium)
April 14: Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans (DY Patil Stadium)
April 17: Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings (MCA Stadium, Pune)
April 23: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans (DY Patil Stadium)
April 27: Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (Wankhede Stadium)
April 30: Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (Brabourne Stadium – CCI)
May 3: Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings (DY Patil Stadium)
May 6: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians (Brabourne Stadium – CCI)
May 10: Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans (MCA Stadium, Pune)
May 15: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans (Wankhede Stadium)
May 19: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans (Wankhede Stadium)