Defending Champions Gujarat Titans (GT) made a few calculative calls in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction. They started off by picking New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson for his base price. Their most expensive buy was uncapped Indian pacer Shivam Mavi who they picked for Rs 6 crore.
They surprised everyone when they bid aggressively for Ireland's Joshua Little. In the end, they acquired his services for Rs 4.4 crore. They got a few bargain picks as well with the inclusion of Odean Smith for his base price. They also got an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in the form of KS Bharat.
GT had a dream start to life in the IPL, winning the trophy in their first season cash-rich tournament. Their leading light was their captain Hardik Pandya and with not too many changes to their side heading into the auction, GT will hope to continue the same form.
On paper, Pandya-led Titans were not considered one of the most balanced teams of the tournament. Also, their star recruit Jason Roy pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. But Titans had a shrewd Ashish Nehra at the helm of things and with his guidance coupled with Pandya’s spirited leadership, Titans defied all odds and impressed many in the first few matches.
Soon enough, they were beating the best teams of the tournament in crunch games and finished at the top of the points table. They continued their supremacy in the qualifier and won the final battle against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a rather one-sided affair. Pandya’s GT became the first team since the inaugural season to win the title in their maiden season.
Players picked in the Auction:
Kane Williamson: Rs 2 Crore
KS Bharat: Rs 1.2 crore
Odean Smith: Rs 50 lakh
Shivam Mavi: Rs 6 Crore
Urvil Patel: Rs 20 Lakh
Joshua Little: Rs 4.4 Crore
Mohit Sharma: Rs 50 Lakh
GT Captain: Hardik Pandya
Coach: Ashish Nehra
Home ground: Narendra Modi Stadium
IPL titles: 1
GT Owner: CVC Capital
Gujarat Titans (GT) Retained Gujarat players
Shubman Gill, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudarshan, Hardik Pandya (c), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Noor Ahmad, Darshan Nalkande, Pradeep Sangwan
Gujarat Titans (GT) Released Gujarat players
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Lockie Ferguson, Dominic Drakes, Gurkeerat Singh, Jason Roy, Varun Aaron
