Gujarat Titans: IPL 2022 Gujarat Titans Preview: Middle order a concern but posses a potent bowling attack

SQUAD

Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron.

Play
ers’ Availability: All players are available for the entire season, except England batter Jason Roy who has withdrawn from the IPL 2022 due to bubble fatigue. Roy has been replaced with Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Batting: Their batting was always a concern and it has been aggravated by Jason Roy’s pullout. Now, they will have to alter their batting order a bit and find a suitable partner for Shubman Gill. They have two options to choose from — either they push Matthew Wade up or go with Wriddhiman Saha, who has opened many times in the IPL. Saha as an opener makes more sense as it will help Titans have Wade, an experienced international strokemaker, in the middle-order, which otherwise would look very weak with either Vijay Shankar or uncapped Abhinav Manohar to occupy a slot. Hardik Pandya may be tempted to use this opportunity to bat up the order but he is coming from a lengthy break — he hasn’t played any cricket since T20 World Cup in November last year. Hardik would do better at his usual No. 6 where he can use his power-hitting to exploit the last 5 overs or maybe use his experience to guide the team in a tricky chase. He will have David Miller and Rahul Tewatia for company to give opposition a lot to think.

Bowling: Titans spent heavily on their bowling resources, shelling out around Rs 40 crore on just four bowlers — Rashid Khan (15 cr), Lockie Ferguson (10 cr), Tewatia (9 cr), Mohammed Shami (6.25 cr). Though Tewatia is more of an allrounder but he will have to step up with his bowling to justify his price tag. Rashid, one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, would be their mainstay and prime weapon. New Zealand’s Ferguson has the ability to rattle any batting line-up with his searing pace while Shami is very consistent and dependable. They have talented Alzarri Joseph and young left-arm seamer Yash Dayal in the reserves. R Sai Kishore, left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu, is likely to partner Rashid but it will not be easy to overlook experienced Jayant, who can also bowl with the new ball, especially against the oppositions who have multiple left-handers in the side. Afghanistan’s 17-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad is another spin option for them and they may be able to use him in the later half of the tournament when the pitches start to get slower due to overuse (remember, the IPL is being held at only four venues).

Potential Playing XI

1. Shubman Gill, 2. Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3. Matthew Wade, 4. Abhinav Manohar/Vijay Shankar, 5. David Miller, 6. Hardik Pandya (c), 7. Rahul Tewatia, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. R Sai Kishore/Jayant Yadav, 10. Lockie Ferguson, 11. Mohammed Shami.