The current IPL champions Gujarat Titans had a dream season in their inaugural year. They clicked in each department of the game and at crucial junctures found heroes who helped them lift the IPL trophy in 2022. Thus, ahead of the IPL 2023 mini-auction, they released only 6 players, which includes some trades, to keep their core squad intact. So, what does GT need in the upcoming IPL auction to make an impact in the tournament for the second time in a row? Let us find out.
Who has Gujarat Titans Retained?
Gujarat Titans have kept 18 players from the previous title-winning season while letting go of only 6. Given below is the list of players that GT has retained going forward to IPL 2023 –
- Hardik Pandya (Captain)
- Rashid Khan
- Vijay Shankar
- Yash Dayal
- R Sai Kishore
- Rahul Tewatia
- Pradeep Sangwan
- Matthew Wade
- Shubman Gill
- Noor Ahmad
- Mohammad Shami
- Alzarri Joseph
- Jayant Yadav
- Darshan Nalkande
- David Miller
- Abhinav Manohar
- Wriddhiman Saha
- B Sai Sudarshan
How Much Money Do Gujarat Titans Have?
Gujarat Titans have a fair amount of purse amount left for a fruitful auction. GT currently has INR 19.25 crores. They currently have 7 slots to fill, out of which 3 are overseas slots.
Skills GT is Looking for
- Gujarat Titans must be looking for an all-out fast bowler after they traded their pace gun, Lockie Ferguson, to Kolkata Knight Riders.
- GT will also be on the lookout for an additional Indian pacer as a backup for Yash Dayal and manage skipper Pandya’s workload
- By trading Rahmunallah Gurbaz to KKR and releasing Jason Roy, the Titans have vacated 2 of their top slots which they would be looking to fill in the upcoming auction
- They also need a fast-bowling allrounder but due to their purse amount, it is highly unlikely they will go big on names like Cameron Green, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes
Who can Gujarat Titans Target?
Gujarat Titans might go after Kane Williamson to fill one of their top-order slots. If no other franchises show interest in Williamson then the Titans might rope him without shelling too much money. However, being a marquee player, Williamson is going to turn some heads and the Titans might just lose out to the other franchises. The same goes for Mayank Agarwal as well. He is a very good top-order batter and GT will face some stiff competition if they wish to add him to their squad. In the bowling department, the Titans might be tempted to add a left-arm seamer who would bring some variety to their attack and can use the pace and bounce on their home turf. Reece Topley from England or India’s Jaydev Unadkat might be a good choice for them.
