Gujarat Titans finished runners-up in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023). Here’s an in-depth preview for the Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2024 auction including their strengths, weaknesses, purse remaining, players to target and more.
After starting their IPL journey just two years ago, Gujarat Titans quickly rose to the top, won the tournament in their first season and were on the verge of winning their second consecutive title in 2023.
However, with captain Hardik Pandya absent as he has returned to Mumbai Indians, GT will have to do a lot of planning and recruitment to replace him. . Shubman Gill will take over the reins of Pandya and will face the difficult task of leading his team as champions at such a young age.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 auction preview: Trades, full squad, purse & slots remaining
Trades
Hardik Pandya joins Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.50 crore (plus an undisclosed transfer fee that will not be added to the wallet)
Players released
Squad before auction
David Miller, Shubman Gill (c), Matthew Wade, Viridiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudarsan, Darshan Narukande, Vijay Shankar, Jayan Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, R. Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma.
Purse remaining (in INR)
38.15 crore
Slots remaining
8 (2 overseas)
Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 auction preview: Strengths
Strong bowling attack
GT has been successful mainly due to their world-class bowling attack led by Rashid Khan in the spin department and Mohammed Shami in the pace department. The core of their bowling attack remains the same, with different options available depending on the situation.
Strong, reliable finishers
One of the reasons GT has such a great chasing record (14 out of 18 wins) since 2022 is its finishers. David Miller and Rahul Tewatia were very reliable at the death with the bat, assisted by Rashid Khan.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 auction preview: Weaknesses
Inexperienced captain
Shubman Gill has held several senior positions in domestic and age group cricket but not enough to qualify as an experienced captain. How he manages a successful franchise on and off the field will largely determine how GT performs in IPL 2024.
Lack of explosiveness in the batting order
With the departure of Hardik Pandya, GT lacks a modern T20 batsman in the top/middle order who can retain Gill. Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Sai Sudarshan and Vijay Shankar – his four batsmen expected to be in the top five – all have IPL strike rates below his 140.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 auction preview: Potential first XI
Mowglishe’s First Elf: Shubman Gill (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Sai Sudharshan, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma
Influencer: Darshan Narkande / R Sai Kishore
Gujarat Titans IPL 2024 auction preview: Players to target
Wicketkeeper: GT needs a replacement for Saha. We need a player, preferably an Indian, who can bat in the middle order so that we can pair Gill with an explosive international batsman at the top. People likeShashank Singh andRuvnis Sisodia could be targeted.
Explosive batsmen: GT has several anchors in the team such as Gill, Williamson, and Sudarsan. They need to target explosive hitters who can take over games. They could target the likes of Travis Head, Harry Brook and Finn Allen
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