IPL Countdown | Spotlight on first-time skipper Gill as the Titans usher in a new era

Gujarat Titans' meteoric rise in IPL, led by Shubman Gill, faces challenges in 2024 season without key players.

When Gujarat Titans came into being in 2022, not many expected the side to find instant success. The competition in IPL was brutal, for in the 14 seasons until then, 11 had been won by just three teams. There were three others who had not touched any silverware in more than a decade’s existence.

Not only did GT win the title in its debut year, but the outfit nearly defended the crown in 2023, thwarted only by a last-ball boundary by Ravindra Jadeja in the final. In under two years, the team appeared fully formed and exuded a dominating and commanding aura.

When it kick-starts this season’s campaign, however, GT will be a tad diminished. Hardik Pandya, its inspirational skipper for two years, has moved to Mumbai Indians, while Mohammed Shami, Purple Cap winner with 28 wickets in IPL 16, is out after undergoing an ankle surgery.

Much will depend on how star India cricketer Shubman Gill handles the twin responsibilities of captaincy and that of the premier batter. The 24-year-old has never led in the IPL but his recent form against England in Tests (452 runs), and his IPL performance from 2023 (a tournament-high 890 runs at a strike-rate of 157.80), should give him confidence.

GT picked up Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai at the auction last December, perhaps as a replacement for Hardik. While the 23-year-old has proved a capable medium-pacer, he is yet to develop into a fearsome batter like Hardik.

The batting will thus revolve around Gill, to be assisted by the fast-rising B. Sai Sudharsan, fellow Tamil Nadu player Vijay Shankar, South Africa’s David Miller among others. There is an abundance of lower middle-order firepower with the likes of Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar and Shahrukh Khan capable finishers. There are also the wise old heads in Wriddhiman Saha and Kane Williamson.

The sensational Rashid Khan (27 wickets in 2023) will lead the bowling. Pacer Mohit Sharma came out of IPL wilderness to finish with 27 scalps last year, and in the absence of Shami, Mohit and Umesh Yadav need to come good. Aussie left-armer Spencer Johnson was acquired at a princely sum of ₹10 crore. Can he replicate his 2023-24 Big Bash League performance (19 wickets) in the sub-continental shores?