IPL 2022 Auction: 3 major challenges for Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans (GT) may have made some wise acquisitions during IPL 2022 auction, but it is safe to say they lost their way on numerous occasions.
Lockie Ferguson (₹10 crore), Rahul Tewatia (₹9 crore) Mohammed Shami (₹6.25 crore) were their major buys, and will surely form the core along with their draft picks — Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan.
Here's a quick look at their full squad: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Jason Roy, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron, B Sai Sudarshan.
Although the side comprises of a blend of experience and youth, the balance will be one of the key talking points once the season gets underway.
We take a look at the major challenges for Gujarat Titans during IPL 2022.
#1 Gujarat Titans have a relatively weak middle order
While the opening combination of Jason Roy and Shubman Gill makes for a potent duo who can get the side off to explosive starts, their middle order has become a bit of a concern.
The onus would be on the likes of their new acquisitions Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Sadarangani, and even Matthew Wade to do the bulk of the scoring. What's concerning is how they handle the situation if they lose wickets in a flurry.
#2 Will there be too much pressure on Rahul Tewatia?
Rahul Tewatia catapulted himself to stardom after walloping five sixes in an over in 2020. He later proved himself to be a tough customer with the ball, but didn't have the greatest of seasons with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 with the bat or the ball.
He will almost certainly be looked at as the Gujarat Titans' bonafide finisher alongside Hardik Pandya, but will also have the responsibility of shepherding the tail if things go south for the side batting-wise. How it works out for the bowling all-rounder remains to be seen.
#3 The sore absence of a dependable fifth bowler
Should Hardik Pandya not send down an over or two, the Gujarat Titans will risk leaking some runs in the absence of a sore fifth bowler. Shami, Rashid Khan, Ferguson and Tewatia will be their primary four, and the side will look at Vijay Shankar as their fifth option.
Like Tewatia, Shankar had a forgettable IPL 2021 with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, picking up just three wickets and scoring 58 runs from seven matches. His economy of 9.09 was his worst since the 2018 season.