"That's a big question" - Aakash Chopra on whether Wriddhiman Saha will be able to deliver for the Gujarat Titans
Aakash Chopra feels the Gujarat Titans (GT) need to bolster their batting department as he is unsure if Wriddhiman Saha will be as effective at the top of the order in IPL 2023 as he was in the last edition of the tournament.
Saha is among 18 players retained by the Titans ahead of the mini-auction to be held in Kochi on December 23. The defending champions have an available purse of ₹19.25 crore and can buy a maximum of seven players.
Chopra delved into the Gujarat Titans' likely auction strategy in a video shared on his YouTube channel. He picked their lack of batting depth as an area of improvement, explaining:
"The playing XI is almost like last year. I see slightly less depth in the batting. Saha did very well last year but will Saha be able to do that well every year? That's a big question because he has not been playing competitive cricket regularly for a long time."
The former Indian opener was slightly surprised by the Titans' call to retain Matthew Wade while letting Rahmanullah Gurbaz go to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), reasoning:
"I am a little surprised that they retained Matthew Wade and let Gurbaz go because Gurbaz is a T20 journeyman at the moment. He is someone who is everywhere. So they could have probably kept him with them."
Wade had a dismal IPL 2022, managing just 157 runs at a poor average of 15.70 and an equally underwhelming strike rate of 113.76 in 10 innings. Gurbaz, who came in as a replacement for Jason Roy, did not get to play a game for the franchise.
"They can think about Harry Brook" - Aakash Chopra on the batters Gujarat Titans could look to acquire
Chopra reckons Harry Brook could be an overseas batter the Gujarat Titans might look to acquire but was unsure if Kane Williamson would fit the bill, observing:
"They can think about Harry Brook if they like him. Kane Williamson is available but will he fit in their team? I don't know. It is a slightly defensive batting lineup, in any case, if you leave aside David Miller."
Harry Brook - what a special special talent he is!!!! All formats. Gun 🧙🏼♂️
The reputed commentator feels the Ahmedabad-based franchise lack firepower in their batting lineup, explaining:
"Hardik Pandya also gives himself time at the start at No. 4 these days. Shubman Gill is also not your big striker. So who is the big striker? You won't say Abhinav Manohar is the one. Rahul Tewatia - striker, but bats too low."
Chopra concluded by naming Rilee Rossouw, Heinrich Klaasen and Reeza Hendricks as some of the other batters the Gujarat Titans might be interested in. He added that while Hardik Pandya's side would want to acquire one of Cameron Green, Sam Curran or Ben Stokes, they probably won't have enough money to buy any of them.