GT in IPL 2023: The Gujarat Titans were the debutants in the last edition of the IPL, and they started their journey by creating history by winning the title in their debut year. They are the second team in the IPL to do so after the Rajasthan Royals won it in the first edition.
The debutante had a great go at the draft, picking up players like Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, and Shubhman Gill. However, the auction didn’t seem to go in GT’s favor, and they ended up picking a team with fragile youngsters and only a few big names like David Miller and Mohammed Shami.
The coaching unit, however, did excellent work with the not-so-convincing team on team sheets. They made innovative calls by sending in Kung-Fu Pandya early, at 3 or 4. They turned the slog-over all-rounder into a proper middle-order batter in no time. They used Rashid as an all-rounder at No. 7 and relied on Tewatia lower down the order.
However, they would like to make some changes to their roster this year in order to fill the voids. After unexpected gameplay last year, the defending champions have set their standards very high, and to hold on to their amazing glory, they would be looking forward to bringing in a few changes to their squad.
GT have let go of a few and also gained a young Indian talent in Shivam Mavi, drafted in from KKR, at the end of which they are now left with 19.25 crores in their purse.
Let’s have a look at the players Gary Kirsten and co. will be eyeing in the upcoming edition.
1. Rilee Rossouw
The proteas would be a perfect pick for the GT side to give semblance to their middle-order squad at a base price of just Rs 1 crore. GT may make a final bid of around 6-7 crores for the overseas batsman because he can put an end to their search for a perfect No. 3 batsman in the shorter format of the game.
2. Mayank Agarwal
The Titans might also look for an experienced batter at No. 3-4 to allow Miller and Pandya to come down the order and not rely much on Rashid for runs. For such a quest, Mayank is the best choice, with loads of experience and composure as a batsman. The Titans may seek a healthy bid of 3-4 crores for Mayank.
3. Nicholas Pooran
GT lacks wicket-keeping options in the absence of Matthew Wade, who failed miserably last year after losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Pooran is a good fit for the Titans because he can fill the roles of both a starter and a middle-order batter. The Titans are willing to pay 4-5 crores for Pooran.
4. Narayan Jagadeesan
The Titans may also consider bringing in Indian domestic talent as they appear to have exhausted their pool of overseas players.This young Indian talent can feature in their lineup as an optional Indian batter in the middle order, and the Titans may look to book him for a price of 1-2 crores.
These players would be enough to complete the Titans squad but as a backup, they would look to include players like Vaibhav Arora, Sheldon Jackson and Mohammad Nabi on their side ranging vividly between 50 lakhs to 1 crore.
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