Joshua Little vs Alzarri Joseph - who should start in GT's playing 11 for IPL 2023
Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) have altered their bowling unit slightly ahead of the upcoming 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The Hardik Pandya-led side have traded Lockie Ferguson to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while acquiring the likes of Joshua Little and Shivam Mavi through the mini-auction in December.
With the likes of David Miller, Rashid Khan, and Kane Williamson set to occupy three of the four overseas slots, GT have the provision to play one overseas seamer to round up the pace unit alongside spearheads Mohammad Shami, Yash Dayal, and Hardik.
Alzarri Joseph mostly traded games with Ferguson during the previous season and ended up playing nine matches. The West Indies speedster picked up seven wickets with an economy of 8.80.
With Ferguson gone, the hierarchy naturally indicates Joseph's inclusion in the playing XI for the 2023 season, but he faces stiff competition with his overseas compatriot, Joshua Little.
The Irish left-arm pacer created history by becoming the first player from his country to be acquired by a franchise in an IPL auction.
The former CSK net bowler entered the auction with a base price of ₹50 Lakhs and triggered a bidding war between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which went on to hit the ₹4.4 crore mark, which was also the final bid.
Share a welcome message for Joshua bhai! ✍🏻
#AavaDe | #TATAIPL2023 ⚡️ https://t.co/wDO0zhmJQd
The 23-year-old also has a T20 World Cup hat trick to his name. He took the wickets of Kane Williamson, James Neesham, and Mitchell Santner in the Super 12s encounter against New Zealand in Adelaide.
Raw explosive pace vs variety
The unique aspect that Alzarri Joseph offers is his sheer raw pace. With the ability to hit the 145 kmph mark regularly along with his height and high arm action, he is bound to terrorize the batters when on song.
He left an early impression in the IPL, coming in as a 22-year-old for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and claiming figures of 6-12 on his debut itself. While he did not avail further opportunities in the 2019 season with the five-time champions, his return with GT in 2022 showed that he still has the goods to succeed.
A member of the West Indies 2016 U-19 World Cup squad that won in Bangladesh, Joseph has vastly improved and with the home-and-away format returning this season, his particular skillset is bound to be useful.
Joshua Little, on the other hand, emerges as an interesting option as a left-arm seamer. He is bound to learn a lot from head coach Ashish Nehra, with the former bowler being a left-arm pacer as well. His inclusion will give GT two left-arm seamers, while several teams are craving just one.
While he is not as tall as Joseph and tends to bowl in the 135-140 kmph window. He has the ability to hit the deck hard and move the new ball well as well. He is also adept at bowling at any stage of the innings.
Recent form
Alzarri Joseph, as previously mentioned, has improved considerably since his IPL 2022 stint and is currently the beacon of the West Indies bowling unit. He surprisingly made his T20I debut after IPL 2022, almost six years after making his debut in the rest of the formats.
Nevertheless, despite being late to the party, he has shown no signs of being unfamiliar. He has 22 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 7.83. He also picked up his first T20I five-wicket haul during West Indies' narrow win over South Africa in the third T20I.
He finished with figures of 5-40 in the high-scoring encounter, which is a formula that will work well in the IPL. Pacers are bound to concede runs in the subcontinent, so the key is to remain aggressive and be in the hunt for wickets, which Joseph has proved to be capable of.
Josh Little, on the other hand, was last seen during the inaugural edition of SA20, representing the Pretoria Capitals. He only availed two opportunities, where he picked up two wickets, but had an economy close to 10.
He was slated to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Multan Sultans, but a hamstring injury that he sustained during SA20, ruled him out entirely.
Final verdict
Josh Little has not played a competitive match for almost three months, which is bound to leave him rusty. Additionally, GT will not be on the lookout to field two left-arm seamers at the expense of raw pace, which is guaranteed to trouble the batters.
The fact of the matter is that with GT already having a curated prospect like Joseph on their hands, they are unlikely to pivot their attention to Little, who despite his potential, is still a work in progress.
Who, in your opinion, among Little and Joseph should find a place in the GT Playing XI for IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.