Gujarat Titans: Pandya’s defending champion will enter IPL 2023 as a strong contender
Mumbai Gujarat Titans, who led Hardik Pandya to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title on their debut last year, will be aiming to replicate the performance of making all the right moves in the upcoming edition. The Gujarat Titans team not only emerged as the best team to lift the trophy of IPL 2022 but also executed their plan best among all the competing teams.
The team won 10 out of 14 league matches, topping the points table with 20 points. The IPL title triumph saw the rise in stature of Pandya, who was made the permanent captain of the Indian team in T20 Internationals and given the responsibility in ODIs, while their young batsman Shubman Gill has also established himself with his performances so much that out of three His selection was confirmed in the two international formats. Both Pandya and Gill put in strong performances with the bat for Gujarat Titans, scoring 487 and 483 runs respectively and being their team’s top run-getters.
At the same time, Mohammed Shami (20 wickets) and Rashid Khan (19 wickets) were their main killer bowlers with the ball. Gujarat Titans had to let go of their fast bowler Lockie Ferguson but his absence will not weaken their bowling line-up which includes Ireland pacer Josh Little, West Indian Alzarri Joseph, Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal and a few more. Strengths: Credit must be given to the coaching staff, led by former India pacer Ashish Nehra, for creating a good rapport between the players, especially the clarity on the roles of the players which was of paramount importance.
While preparing for the upcoming season, the team’s irregular members Mavi and R Sai Kishore said that the biggest reason for the team’s successful campaign last year was that the players knew their roles and played according to the strategy. Apart from Gill’s explosive batting at the top, Gujarat has a lot of quality batsmen in the form of Pandya, B Sai Sudarshan, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller and Rahul Tewatia who can show pace. Kane Williamson joining the team will also be beneficial for the team. The team has also included T20 World Cup hat-trick bowler Josh Little of Ireland and Odion Smith of the West Indies.
Williamson has 2100 runs in the IPL and also has captaincy experience who can play the role of number three batsman on difficult wickets. Known for his batting, Tewatia also displayed his ball skills in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022-23, taking 14 wickets in eight matches. Weakness: On paper, the team has made up for the weakness of last season. The team’s ‘bench strength’ was not that strong, with Mavi claiming that Gujarat Titans have found a solution. For example, if Pandya was the player handling the innings at number four, now he has another good option in the form of Williamson.
The team may miss a great fast bowler in the form of Ferguson and his sharp bowling in the death overs, but this should not be a major concern as they now have plenty of options. Also, it will be important to show the game according to the plan here. Opportunity: When the team entered the IPL last year, most people did not consider Gujarat Titans as contenders, in which they had an established player but did not have much captaincy experience. Pandya was not the center of attraction and there were questions about his ability at the start of the tournament. But the Gujarat Titans slowly emerged as the most organized, well-planned, determined and disciplined unit. If the team enters the field with the same attitude this year as well, then its rival teams will have to face great difficulties in overcoming them.
Threat: If there is one batsman who has evolved a lot in all three formats, it is Gill. Now he is being seen as the future captain of the Gujarat team. He has a double century in ODIs as well as a century in Tests. He is at his peak so that he can prove to be the most dangerous batsman of the team. Pandya’s captaincy is inspirational. He treats players as equals, is like a friend and has the ability to get the best out of them, much like his head coach Nehra. Pandya’s all-round skills with bat and ball will again be key for the team. South African cricketer David Miller will miss the season-opener against Chennai Super Kings but is expected to be available for selection from the second match onwards. He is one of the best players to ‘finish’ matches in tense situations and his presence will make the team’s middle order very dangerous. Saha might get some competition from young KS Bharath. Williamson will be key in the middle order.
