GT IPL 2023 Preview: Gujarat Titans will be among the more confident sides entering the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL); not only are they the defending champions, but they also boast of a well balanced side along with an inspirational captain who is also seen as a favourite to succeed Rohit Sharma in captaining Indian across formats.
The Hardik Pandya-led side kick things off in style, facing MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the opening game at their home ground — the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad — and will aim to begin their title defence with a bang against one of IPL’s most celebrated teams of all time.
IPL 2023: All you need to know
Among the positives for the Titans heading into the second season is the kind of form opening batter Shubman Gill is in. The spotlight certainly will be on the young opener who has been in roaring form for the Indian team since scoring a maiden Test hundred in Bangladesh in December, going on to score truckloads of runs including a whirlwind double-hundred against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
IPL 2023 Factbox Everything you need to know about Gujarat Titans
The Titans had opted to send wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha to open alongside Gill in the second half of the 2022 season, and that combination will likely persist this time around as well, while Kane Williamson — who was released by the Sunrisers ahead of the auction and got picked up by the Titans at Rs 2 crore — is expected to lend solidity at the No 3 spot.
The real firepower, however, lies in the middle order with the likes of David Miller, who holds the record for the fastest T20I century of all time and was also in roaring form last season with 481 runs at an average and strike rate of 68.71 and 142.73 respectively.
Miller is expected to share the bulk of the middle-order responsibilities with skipper Pandya, who was the leading run-scorer for the Titans last season though he managed just six more than what Miller accumulated. And let’s not forget Rahul Tewatia, who is quite capable of performing a miracle or two (just ask the Punjab Kings), and West Indian power-hitter Odean Smith, who also brings in his seam-bowling capability into the equation.
The bowling unit is just as exciting and the biggest name in that department undoubtedly would be Rashid Khan, arguably the leading leg-spinner in world cricket in the present generation. Rashid is coming off a superb run with the Lahore Qalandars in the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League, playing a key role in their title triumph by finishing the third-highest wicket-taker of the season (20).
As for their pace department, Indians Mohammed Shami and Shivam Mavi — GT’s most expensive buy in the auction at Rs 6 crore — will be expected to share the bulk of duties along with Irishman Joshua Little — the team’s second-most expensive buy at Rs 4.4 crore. One could say the Titans are spoilt for choice with their bench strength, given West Indian Alzarri Joseph — who boasts of the best figures in IPL history (6/12) — will likely start on the bench unless the team are willing to sacrifice either Williamson or Miller in order to include him in the XI.
Past performances:
Strongest possible XI:
Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Jayant Yadav
Squad:
Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little, Urvil Patel, Shivam Mavi, KS Bharat, Odean Smith, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad
Schedule:
31 March — vs Chennai Super Kings, Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
4 April — vs Delhi Capitals, Delhi (7:30 PM)
9 April — vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Ahmedabad (3:30 PM)
13 April — vs Punjab Kings, Mohali (7:30 PM)
16 April — vs Rajasthan Royals, Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
22 April — vs Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow (3:30 PM)
25 April — vs Mumbai Indians, Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
29 April — vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata (3:30 PM)
2 May — vs Delhi Capitals, Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
5 May — vs Rajasthan Royals, Jaipur (7:30 PM)
7 May — vs Lucknow Super Giants, Ahmedabad (3:30 PM)
12 May — vs Mumbai Indians, Mumbai (7:30 PM)
15 May — vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ahmedabad (7:30 PM)
21 May — vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bengaluru (7:30 PM)
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