In IPL 2022, Gujarat Titans became just the second team to win the title in their debut season. Hardik Pandya carried them over the line with his brilliant captaincy skills. GT have retained most of its players from last season. They look like a strong side, but are they strong enough to create history and make it 2 in 2?
Read the blog till the bottom to find the answer.
GT Squad 2023
Following is the complete squad of Gujarat Titans for the IPL 16:
Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, B Sai Sudharsan, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, KS Bharat, Urvil Patel, Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya(c), Darshan Nalkande, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Odean Smith. Pradeep Sangwan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmed, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore
Gujarat Titans Likely Starting XI
Here’s the best possible XI that Gujarat can field in IPL 2023:
- Shubman Gill
- Wriddhiman Saha (wk)
- Matthew Wade
- Hardik Pandya (c)
- David Miller
- Rahul Tewatia
- Rashid Khan
- Mohammed Shami
- Yash Dayal
- Shivam Mavi
- Joshua Little
GT Squad Strengths
The Titans are one of the prime contenders for the IPL 2016, and here’s why:
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Reliable Top Order
Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha will probably open the batting for GT. Gill has scored more than 400 runs in the 3 most recent IPL seasons. His best season came in 2022, as he piled up 483 runs with a best of 96. His average and strike rate in IPL 2022 were 34.5 and 132.33, respectively. Gill was one of the mainstays in their batting lineup. He stayed unbeaten on 45 runs to help his side get home in a low scoring final.
Wriddhiman Saha was also in decent touch in the 15th IPL season. He scored 317 runs in his 11 outings with a best of 68. Matthew Wade is expected to bat at #3 for the Titans. He wasn’t highly impressive in the previous edition. But the Aussie is in great touch in 2023. After having an impressive BBL season, he is now in fine form in the PSL as well.
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Plenty of Power Hitters
Hardik Pandya batted at #4 in IPL 2022 for Gujarat. He was the highest run-getter for his side, with 487 runs at an average of 44.27. He adjusted really well to the team’s requirements and played more as an anchor. However, we all know what he is capable of as a power hitter. His IPL strike rate of 147.59 is enough to tell that.
Pandya will be followed by South Africa’s destructive middle-order batsman, David Miller. He is famously known as Killer Miller due to his ability to take any bowling lineup to the cleaners. The southpaw was undoubtedly Gujarat Titans’ best batter in 2022, as he smashed 481 runs at a strike rate of 142.73. He was averaging 68.71 in those 16 innings. He will once again be crucial to GT’s chances in the league.
Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan also did a great job in IPL 15 for their team. The former scored 217 runs in the event while averaging 31 and striking at 147.62. Meanwhile, the latter got 91 runs at an unbelievable strike rate of 206.82. It also included a match-winning cameo of 40 runs. So, Gujarat has several power hitters in their team.
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Rashid Khan’s 4 Overs
Not too often do we see a single player being identified as the strength of a team. But Rashid Khan is one of those few players who deserve to be rated that high. At the age of just 24, the leggie has more than 520 T20 wickets. His economy rate is just 6.22 in T20 Internationals and 6.37 in domestic T20s. In IPL, he gives just 6.38 runs per over and has taken 112 wickets.
An economy rate of less than 6.5 in T20s, T20Is, and IPL tells us how hard it is to score off his bowling. Not only he takes regular wickets, but he is also incredibly hard to go big against. Also, he is in great form in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League. That’s why his 4 overs in each of Gujarat’s matches will be a huge challenge for the opposition.
GT Squad Weaknesses
Let’s discuss the only weakness in the squad of Gujarat Titans:
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Inexperienced Pace Battery
Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Shivam Mavi, and Joshua Little will likely be the 4 regular pacers for GT. The last 3 of these 4 names have only 41 IPL matches between them. Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya will strengthen their fast bowling with their experience.
But the other three speedsters are fairly young at this level. They are yet to prove themselves in this format. Also, Gujarat don’t have any developed new ball bowler apart from Mohammed Shami. Josh Little is a decent choice, but GT can certainly leak runs in the powerplay.
Players To Watch Out
Underlying are the 5 key players for the Gujarat Titans:
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Hardik Pandya
Gujarat’s skipper is indeed their most important player. He provides massive contributions with both bat and ball. Pandya was the highest run-scorer for his side in the last season and was the Player of the Match in the final. His starting price in this year’s IPL is ₹151.
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Shubman Gill
The stylish opener is an important figure in the Titans’ batting. He has been in great form in white ball cricket and recently scored his first T20I hundred. His base price in Sportiqo’s market is ₹180.
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Rashid Khan
Rashid is undoubtedly the best T20 bowler in the world. Not only does he bowl economically, but the leggie also picks key wickets. His PCs can be bought for ₹189 before the tournament.
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Mohammed Shami
Shami will lead Gujarat Titans’ pace attack with his years of experience. The base price of his stocks is ₹104.
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David Miller
The destructive middle-order batsman has a starting value of ₹170 for the 16th IPL edition. His fireworks with the bat were crucial in Gujarat’s title-winning campaign in 2022.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2023 Prediction
Just like last year, GT are one of the strongest teams in IPL 2023 as well. However, there’s a lot of inexperience in their fast bowling, so they might not make it to the final. They should enter the playoffs as the 3rd or 4th ranked team and get eliminated in that stage.
Final Prediction: Elimination in Playoffs.
