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Gujarat Titans only came into being as an IPL franchise in 2022, but in their two seasons in the league have shown that they are more than capable of mixing it with the bigger sides.
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They won the title in their first-ever season before making it to the final in 2023, where they were just one good ball away from winning two on the bounce. With a squad constructed around a few big stars and several undervalued players, they could be all set to launch another assault on the league.
In this article, The Sporting News explains which players could be on GT’s radar ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
MORE: Who will Mumbai Indians buy for IPL 2024?
Gujarat Titans squad list for IPL 2024
Following the player retention/release deadline, GT have retained 17 players. They are:
- Abhinav Sadarangani
- B Sai Sudharsan
- Darshan Nalkande
- David Miller*
- Jayant Yadav
- Joshua Little*
- Kane Williamson*
- Matthew Wade*
- Mohammad Shami
- Mohit Sharma
- Noor Ahmad*
- R Sai Kishore
- Rahul Tewatia
- Rashid Khan*
- Shubman Gill
- Vijay Shankar
- Wriddhiman Saha
*overseas players
Which players should Gujarat Titans buy in the IPL 2024 auction?
Gujarat Titans will be entering the auction with Rs 38.15 crore, the highest of any team in the IPL. However, this large purse has come at the cost of them losing captain and all-rounder Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians.
MORE: WPL 2024 Auction: Date, venue, and full list of 165 available players
Opener Shubman Gill has been named as the new skipper, but for now Gujarat are left with a Hardik-shaped hole in their side. They need just one more player to fill the minimum squad size requirement, but also have just two overseas slots left.
With Kane Williamson expected to slot back in to the Gujarat lineup, the starting XI looks just as strong as last season. The bowling depth is also solid, so GT will likely be looking at aggressive Indian lower-order batters in order to offset the anchoring tendencies of both Williamson and Sai Sudharsan. Here are three options.
Shahrukh Khan
Having been released by Punjab Kings, Shahrukh Khan is set to be one of the hottest players in December’s auction. Several teams could use a player like him, and Gujarat could fancy their chances of getting him thanks to their budget.
Shahrukh would slot nicely into a power-packed lower-order between David Miller and Rashid Khan. With minimal repsonsibility, he could be afforded the freedom to flay opposition bowlers knowing that he does not have to succeed every time.
Rishi Dhawan
There are very few Indian players who can claim to be a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya, and one of the closer ones may be Himachal Pradesh’s Rishi Dhawan. Now 33 years old, Dhawan is vastly experienced and could be a solid back-up option for Gujarat.
He can bat at number 7 or number 8, and his medium-pace is more than reliable to fill up the two overs Hardik tended to bowl for GT. Dhawan would provide competition to the likes of Rahul Tewatia and Abhinav Manohar, and GT could play any one of the three on a given day, based on conditions.
MORE: Who will RR buy in IPL 2024 auction?
Vivrant Sharma
As a left-hander, Jammu and Kashmir’s Vivrant Sharma would add a bit more flexibility to the GT lineup. The all-rounder can ‘hit a long ball’, as they say and bowls some more than handy leg spin.
Vivrant was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad this year, and is unlikely to command an unreasonable price at the auction. GT could secure him as direct competition for Rahul Tewatia and decide which player they want to invest in going into the 2025 mega auction.
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