Gujarat Titans, the champions of IPL 2022 roped in 8 players in the IPL 2024 auction strengthening their pace bowling department by adding the likes of Umesh Yadav and Spencer Johnson the Australian pacer.
Shubman Gill will lead the franchise with Hardik Pandia parting ways with the franchise earlier this season. The franchise named the youngster the captain of the franchise with a sense of pride and honor. Gill had a fabulous year as an international cricketer in 2023. It will be interesting to see how he leads this franchise.
GT did well to retain the core that helped them win the championship. The likes of Gill, Dabid Miller, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, and Mohit Sharma now become the core of the side.
They have made some good additions in the form of Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Robin Minz, Sushant Mishra, and Kartik Tyagi. The management was keen to add some exciting Indian names from domestic cricket. Only time will tell how they bring out the best from the talented players.
Also Read: IPL 2024 Auction: Sam Curran Is Overpaid – AB de Villiers’ ‘Controversial’ Remark On PBKS Star
GT added Spencer Johnson at 20 crores and Shahrukh Khan at 7.40 crores which were their two most expensive buys at the auction. Given they have a compact side and plenty of backups, in this article, we try and predict their best XI.
Gujarat Titans Playing 11 for IPL 2024
Shubman Gill (C)
Gill will open the batting. He won the Orange Cap last season scoring 890 runs in 17 matches. He had a memorable 2023 and would like to start 2024 on a good note. He also seen as a potential future skipper of the Indian cricket team.
Wriddhiman Saha (WK)
Saha has been their designated opener over the last couple of seasons. He has been giving the Titans quick starts almost regularly and his role will remain the same. The veteran keeper has been playing the IPL ever since its inception.
Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson will slot in at three. He was added by the franchise last season but missed out with a knee injury. The Kiwi skipper will become a central figure in the batting lineup. He led SRH previously in the IPL. Williamson made his international return in the World Cup.
Vijay Shankar
Shankar will bat at four. He really made his presence felt at that number in IPL 2023 scoring 301 runs at a strike rate of 160.11. He would like to make an impact this season in a bid to make an India comeback.
David Miller
David Miller will slot in at five. The experienced batter has played a lot of IPL cricket and has a good idea about almost all the pitches. He can adapt his game accordingly as well. Miller is the designated finisher in the side.
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan will bat at six. GT roped him in for 7.40 crores looking to add more muscle to their batting lineup. The Tamil Nadu cricketer did not have a good last season scoring just 156 runs in 14 games at an average of 22.29. He would like to make up for it this season.
Rahul Tewatia
Tewatia will slot in at seven. He also played some lovely cameos with the bat for GT in 2022 when they won the championship. His role too will be as a finisher in the batting lineup.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan will bat at eight. He is a handly batter down the order and one of GT’s main strike bowlers. Rashid picked up 27 wickets last season and overall has 46 wickets for the Titans.
Mohammed Shami
Shami will lead the pace attack. He has been in supreme form this year taking 23 wickets in the World Cup after finishing with 28 wickets in IPL 2023. The pacer’s rise has been a story of this year.
Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma will be the second Indian pacer in this lineup. He ended as the second-highest wicket-taker with 27 wickets from 14 matches. He was used mostly in the death overs and will be a death specialist this season as well.
Spencer Johnson
Johnson was roped in by Gujarat Titans for 10 crores. The left-arm pacer made his ODI and T20I debut earlier this year and made his debut across T2-0 leagues all over the World Cup. The Titans decided to bid for him trusting on his talent which will be displayed throughout the season.
Impact Sub: Noor Ahmed
Noor Ahmed will be the impact sub. He was used in that role by Gujarat Titans last season. The Afghan leggie finished with 16 wickets from 13 games most of which came as an impact sub.
