Tata IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans do credible job with limited purse of INR 52 crores

Gujarat Titans (GT) full squad details, analysis, list of bought players at auction and possible playing XI for IPL 2022.

Gujarat Titans (GT) think tank during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. (©BCCI_IPL)

Gujarat Titans (GT) had drafted some of the best available players heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega-auction. The initial draft including Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan reads like the who’s who of limited-overs cricket. Heading into the auction, they already had a solid top-order Indian batter, arguably India’s only fast-bowling all-rounder and arguably the best leg-spinner in the history of T20 cricket. These premium players didn’t come cheap as Gujarat had to shell out 42 per cent of their budget on just three players.

It was imperative that they be smart with their buys and they have done a very good job at that. One of the two new franchises, Gujarat entered the auction with just INR 52 crores at their disposal and added 20 more players into their team. Let us take a look at how the different departments of the team look after the auction.

Gujarat Titans IPL 2022 Complete Squad

Hardik Pandya (Rs 15 crore), Rashid Khan (Rs 15 crore), Shubman Gill (Rs 8 crore), Mohammed Shami (Rs 6.25 crore) Jason Roy (Rs 2 crore) Lockie Ferguson (Rs 10 crore) Abhinav Sadarangani (Rs 2.6 crore) Rahul Tewatia (Rs 9 crore) Noor Ahmad (Rs 30 lakh) R Sai Kishore (Rs 3 crore) Dominic Drakes (1.10 crore) Jayant Yadav (Rs 1.70 crore) Vijay Shankar (Rs 1.40 crore) Darshan Nalkande (Rs 20 lakh) Yash Dayal (Rs 3.2 crore) Alzarri Joseph (Rs 2.40 crore) Pradeep Sangwan (Rs 20 lakh) David Miller (Rs 3 crore) Wriddhiman Saha (Rs 1.90 crore) Matthew Wade (Rs 2.40 crore) Gurkeerat Singh (Rs 50 lakh) Varun Aaron (Rs 50 lakh)

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Batters and Wicketkeepers - Shubman Gill, Jason Roy, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar Sadrangani, Sai Sudarshan, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha

Gujarat nabbed the England opener Jason Roy for just INR 2 crores. Heading into the tournament, teams looked to address the problem of quick runs in the powerplay. Indian brand of cricket is based on a more conservative approach where the batters go easy at the top and accelerate in the end. Jason Roy is the antithesis of that approach and goes by the ideology of “see ball, hit ball”.

David Miller is another foreign pick who slots into your middle-order and hits the white ball a long way. Though his stocks have been on decline recently, he is a proven IPL great. A career IPL strike rate of over 140 and an average close to 32 is testimony to that.

The Titans have shortlisted Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade as their wicketkeeping options. In Saha, they will find IPL pedigree and a strong set of gloves behind the wickets. The veteran can slot in anywhere in the top 6 and has been part of the prestigious league since its inception.

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All-rounders - Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Dominic Drakes, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rahul Tewatia

The Titans coughed up INR 9 crores for Rahul Tewatia. Tewatia’s stocks have risen after he hit 5 sixes off Sheldon Cottrell in a tense chase, a couple of years back. His primary skill is leg spin but the Haryana lad is also a livewire on the field, one could say that he is a 3-D player.

Talking about 3-D players, Gujarat Titans added Vijay Shankar to their pool of medium-pace all-rounders. Not far ago, Shankar was slotted as India’s number four in the ICC World Cup 2019. A genuine middle-order batter he is more than a handy bowler and can give you two to three overs on a regular basis.

Gujarat Titans pick Lockie Ferguson for INR 10 crore at the Auction. (Image ©BCCI/IPL)

Bowlers - Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Noor Ahmed, Alzarri Joseph, R Sai Kishore, Pradeep Sangwan, Yash Dayal, Darshan Narkande, Varun Aaron

Mohammed Shami was Gujarat’s first major buy and with good reason as well. One can see how he will be at the centre of Gujarat’s scheme of things going forward. A lethal pacer who gives you overs upfront and in the death overs alike. Shami was KL Rahul’s go-to man in Punjab Kings and Hardik will expect no less from him.

Lockie Ferguson turned quite a few heads and started a bidding war; the Titans had to spend INR 10 crores to acquire his services. One of the rare bowlers who can generate pace on any surface, Ferguson is deceptively accurate for someone with that kind of pace. He played a crucial role in KKR’s road to the final in last year’s IPL and will hope to reignite the magic again at his new home.

Gujarat Titans Possible Playing XI for IPL 2022:

Jason Roy (os), Shubman Gill, Abhinav Manohar, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (C), Matthew Wade (wk) (os), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan (os), R Sai Kishore/Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson (os)

Alternate playing XI

Jason Roy (os), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, David Miller (os) Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan (os), R Sai Kishore/Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson (os)

*os - overseas

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Gujarat Titans Squad Analysis

Gujarat has managed to assemble a really strong core with Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Jason Roy. They have covered all their bases. But the problem will be finding a like-for-like replacement for them.

Another major concern is the match fitness of Hardik Pandya. There is no doubt that Pandya has a proven track record of being a match-winner across formats but the question is whether Gujarat will be playing Hardik Pandya the finisher or Hardik Pandya the all-rounder. There are no doubts about Saha’s skill as a wicketkeeper but Saha as a limited-overs batter, we have our reservations.

IPL 2022 kicks off in India on March 27. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has indicated that the venues for the premier cricketing league could be Mumbai and Pune and the tournament will be held without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The detailed schedule of the tournament is yet to be announced.

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