The defending champions of the TATA IPL 2023, the Gujarat Titans, will be very keen on defending its title. The team has a well-balanced squad and if they go all guns blazing, they can repeat the heroics of last time. After being named the poorest squad by many cricket pundits, they went on to script history by winning the league in their first season itself. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya and the mentorship of Ashish Nehra, the team has come out with flying colors. They discovered a new hero in every game. Here is an in-depth preview of the team before TATA IPL 2023:
Strengths of the Gujarat Titans:
The Indian batting is the strength of the Gujarat Titans. They have established names in that section. They have Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, and Abhinav Manohar. Their domestic batters are players who have dominated the Indian domestic circuit in the past few years. The next strong point comes in the form of the strong middle order. The cream is not at the top but in the middle. The big names come in to bat at numbers 5, 6, and 7. They can even play Matthew Wade at number 7. He has been the best finisher in world cricket in the last calendar year.
Weakness of the Gujarat Titans:
There is an evident weakness as the Titans rely on potential but they do not have proven names. They are also relying a lot on “has been”. Wriddhiman Saha is not in the form of his life and is not at the peak of his career. They have to look for a backup opening option. The spin bowling department just has Rashid Khan. If he has to miss a game, Sai Kishore and Rahul Tewatia will have to distribute the workload.
Opportunities for the Gujarat Titans in TATA IPL 2023:
There is a big opportunity for one of the domestic Indian batters. One of Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudarshan, or Vijay Shankar is bound to get an opportunity. The Titans will have to play one of them for a few games in the TATA IPL 2023 as they will give the additional batting depth. And with Hardik and Tewatia in the mix, the balance will eventually get added. The Indian cricket team has off-spin all-rounders, but if Tewatia has another good season, the national team can also have a leg-spin bowling all-rounder.
Threats for the Gujarat Titans in TATA IPL 2023:
The threat is the fitness of their captain Hardik Pandya and the form of their lower-middle order. In TATA IPL 2023, if the Titans’ lower middle order has the form of last time, it will be fine but if not, they can struggle big time. They do not have blue-chip players in the lower middle order. The players they have picked are based on potential. The likes of Tewatia, Miller, and Odean Smith are players who have always relied on the form. On the other hand, Hardik is a very fragile commodity. If the BCCI wants to rest their best all-rounder and preserve him for the ODI World Cup 2023, the Gujarat Titans will have to abide by the same.
The Squad of the Gujarat Titans:
Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma.
Expected Playing XI:
Kane Willaimson, Shubman Gill, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal, Sai Kishore.
Schedule of the Gujarat Titans in TATA IPL 2023:
The schedule is yet to be released by the BCCI.
Predictions for the Gujarat Titans in TATA IPL 2023:
Gujarat Titans will have another good season in TATA IPL 2023. They will make it to the playoffs one more time. Shubman Gill and David Miller will have a great TATA IPL 2023. They will be in the top run-getters. Rashid Khan is expected to have a great season with the ball. They may qualify as the 3rd or the 4th team in the points table.
X-Factor Players for the Gujarat Titans in TATA IPL 2023:
The X-Factor players for the Gujarat Titans are David Miller and Shubman Gill. If these two batters get going, the others things will eventually fall in place. The bulk will be done by these two and their captain like it was the last season. The 3 scored more than 35% of the cumulative runs. They need a team effort this time as well because they do not have many big-match players. David Miller bats with a strike rate of 184 in the death overs but Shubman will have to work on his strike rate in the powerplay. He needs to make effective use of the first 6 overs.
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To know more go to the official page of the Gujarat Titans.