3 GT players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts
The Gujarat Titans (GT) are in an excellent position ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), having retained most of the core that won them the title in their maiden campaign.
GT also made some smart acquisitions at the IPL 2023 auction as they opted to shore up their bench while plugging a hole or two in their playing XI. The Titans' blockbuster players, including Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill, will be at the forefront of their title defense.
At the same time, Gujarat have a bunch of players who are on cut-price deals and offer more to the franchise than their price tags suggest. Here are three GT players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts.
#3 B Sai Sudharsan
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GT don't have many domestic specialist top-order batters. B Sai Sudharsan, who made his IPL debut for the franchise last year, is one of the few candidates on their roster. The youngster was snapped up for just ₹20 lakh at the IPL 2022 mega-auction.
Sai Sudharsan has a long career ahead of him and was in excellent form for Tamil Nadu during the recent domestic season across formats. He has some work to do on his power game, but the young left-hander has a calm head on his shoulders to go with his immense ability. He can even chip in with a few overs of spin.
Sai Sudharsan could become an integral part of the GT playing XI during the upcoming IPL season.
#2 Alzarri Joseph
Alzarri Joseph's rise as a white-ball bowler has been stellar to watch. The tall fast bowler has added accuracy and variations to his developing arsenal to go with his searing pace.
Over the last two years, Joseph has been the standout strike bowler for any team he has played for. The West Indian became a fixture in the GT playing XI as well, towards the end of IPL 2022. He was signed for just ₹2.4 crore by the Titans.
Express pacers are hard to come by, and the likes of Mark Wood and Lockie Ferguson earn considerably more than Joseph. GT are lucky to have him on such a reasonable contract.
#1 David Miller
David Miller fetched just ₹3 crore at the IPL 2022 mega-auction! He had played only 10 games in his last two IPL seasons without much success, so it was somewhat understandable that franchises weren't too interested in him. But the South African had been superb in white-ball cricket for his country and deserved more interest.
GT didn't complain, though, and moved him straight into their middle order. Miller repaid the favor, smashing 481 runs at an average of 68.71 and a strike rate of 142.73 to play a massive role in the team's title triumph. His improved game against spin and unmatched finishing skills were there for all to see.
Miller is definitely worth more than the ₹3 crore contract he's on. The Titans will hope he can come up with another prolific season.