IPL 2022: Can Gujarat Titans bloom IPL with an Ordinary Squad?

Gujarat Titans | The Ahmedabad-based franchise unveiled their team’s official jersey on March 13 at Narendra Modi Cricket stadium in the presence of team captain Hardik Pandya. Gujarat Titans will make its IPL debut in the upcoming season. The franchise earlier revealed their team logo in the Metaverse. (Image: Gujarat Titans)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to forge ahead by introducing two brand-new franchises. The Uttar Pradesh-based Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans are the latest to enter the line. The IPL will be played with ten teams for the first time since 2011. In addition, the ten teams will also be divided into two groups as each team will play 14 matches each.

The Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans did a stupendous chore at the draft pick before the mega-auction. The franchise secured Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan at 38 crores; they are exceptional buys considering the experience these players would bring to the table. The flamboyant persona of Hardik Pandya grabbed many eyes when he made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015. Since then, Hardik has been a part of four IPL finals and lifted the trophy in all those chances. The 28-year old has scored 1,476 runs by also picking up 42 wickets in his career.

Rashid Khan, who has picked over 400 T20 wickets, will also be donning blue this season. The Afghani spinster was also a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad previously. He has picked 93 IPL wickets so far, with an economy rate of 6.33. The 23-year old also holds the record of picking 96 scalps in 2018, which is the highest number of T20 wickets by a bowler in a calendar year. Moreover, Rashid is also the fastest bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets. The Titans have drafted Rashid for 15 crores and expect him to produce some striking performances this season.

Shubman Gill also was a cardinal part of Kolkata Knight Riders after Gautam Gambhir vacated the opening spot. The 22-year old has thrashed 1,417 runs in 58 matches, including 10 fifties. The opening batter was also the leading run-scorer for Kolkata last season with 478 runs. Despite this, the Titans have failed to build an unwavering squad this season. If we remove Hardik, Shubman, and Rashid out of the equation, the Titans seem to have a disassembled block of woods.

To begin with, they totally overlooked their batting department at the auction. In a tournament like IPL, it becomes essential to form a sturdy and extensive batting line-up. The Titans are dependent on uncapped batters like Abhinav Manohar to perform in every match. The 27-year old made his first-class T20 debut for Karnataka in the preliminary quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2021. Abhinav was the star-performer in that match with a 70 not out. However, the right-handed batter has only experienced four games in the domestic T20s. The lack of experience from the uncapped batter can have dire consequences for Titans. Primarily, when the Titans anticipate him to occupy the number three position.

Fortunately, they put money into Matthew Wade and David Miller. Wade has scored 2,365 T20 runs with an average of 30.3. The Australian wicket-keeper is also the skipper of Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash Leauge. The 34-year old played a significant role in Australia’s quest for their first T20 World Cup in 2021. Known for his explosive batting, Miller only managed to score 240 runs in 196 deliveries last year. The 32-year old played with a strike of 122.4 last year, which was his lowest strike rate since 2016. With only two fifties in eleven innings last year, Miller appears out of form. However, the South African batter can still hit the ball into bleachers despite not being in his best form.

The inexperienced Rahmanullah Gurbaz has also replaced Jason Roy, who pulled out due to bubble fatigue. The 20-year old has managed to score only 36 runs in five innings while playing for Afghanistan. Wriddhiman Saha would most likely open the innings in the absence of Jason.

Moreover, they have drained a lot of pressure on Indian all-rounders like Vijay Shankar and Rahul Tewatia. Vijay would be expected to score at number four, which is again not his natural position to bat. The 31-year old has scored 712 runs and grabbed only nine scalps at the IPL. After that five sixes in the over of Sheldon Cotrell, Tewatia also has disappeared and only produced a smattering amount of good performances. The right-arm leg-break bowler has also managed to pick only 32 wickets in 48 matches. Gujarat will be assuring them full of chances as they do not have many backup options. It will be captivating to see how Titans approach these players in the field.

On the bright side, Titans have procured an acceptable bowling attack. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph will be leading the pace line-up. Shami and Ferguson can be a deadly duo in the powerplay and the death overs. The New Zealand pacer can bowl up to 150kmph and holds the record for the eighth fastest bowl (153.84kmph) in the IPL history. The 30-year old has picked 24 wickets in 22 IPL matches. Similarly, Shami can handle the new bowl well and can execute the yorkers in the death overs. The 31-year old was also the highest wicket-taker for Punjab Kings in 2021 with 19 wickets in 14 matches. The Antigua bowler Alzarri can also generate healthy movement in the wickets of Mumbai and Pune.

Rashid Khan and Jayant Yadav are expected to anchor the spin department. Emphasis would also be laid upon youngsters like Sai Kishore, Darshan Nalkande, and Noor Ahmad. Nalkande is a lanky fast bowler who plays for Vidharbha in domestic cricket. The 23-year old has picked 43 wickets in just 22 matches while playing domestic cricket. The Tamil Nadu off-spiner Sai Kishore also bowls at an economy of 5.46. The 25-year old has secured 43 wickets in 38 matches. The left-arm chinaman Noor Ahmad recently represented Afghanistan in the U19 World Cup. Noor picked ten wickets in six matches and secured Afghanistan’s place in its maiden ICC semi-finals.

The Titans are all set to make their debut in the rich-cash league. Gujarat may not be the front-runners to lift the trophy, but neither was the Rajasthan in 2008 or Kolkata in 2012. We have all witnessed what wonders an underdog can do at the IPL. The 15th edition of the IPL is all set to commence from 26th March with the first game being played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.