"What are they thinking?" - Aakash Chopra on the Gujarat Titans acquiring Kane Williamson

Aakash Chopra feels the Gujarat Titans (GT) made some interesting calls at the IPL 2023 auction. While he stated that their purchase of Kane Williamson was puzzling at first glance, he acknowledged it might have been the right decision.

The Titans bought Williamson at ₹2 crore at the mini-auction in Kochi last Friday, December 23. Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma were the defending champions' other six acquisitions at the auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the Gujarat Titans made some interesting buys at the auction, saying:

"They got the trophy in the first year and the second year, they bid for seven players and took all seven of them. They didn't lose even one bid. The choices were slightly interesting because Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are not there. Kane Williamson is with this team. What are they thinking?"

The former Indian opener reckons Williamson can bat at the top of the order alongside Shubman Gill, elaborating:

"They picked Kane Williamson in the first bid at the base price. No one bought him but they said they need a top-order batter. Not a bad option at all that you have Shubman Gill at the top and Kane Williamson at the other end."

Chopra feels Williamson is the perfect player for the Titans as they don't seem to be looking to post massive totals, observing:

"When you see this team, you feel it is a 150-run team. They are not thinking about 180 at all. When they are not thinking about 180 at all, Kane Williamson is the perfect player."

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Titans head coach Ashish Nehra mentioned after the auction that they are looking to bat Williamson at the No. 3 position. Gill will likely open with Wriddhiman Saha in such a scenario.

"They are thinking that Wriddhiman Saha is not long-term" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans acquiring KS Bharat

Wriddhiman Saha gave the Gujarat Titans a few flying starts in IPL 2022. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Chopra reckons the Gujarat Titans acquired Srikar Bharat as a long-term replacement for Saha, explaining:

"They bought Odean Smith at the base price. They bought KS Bharat slightly expensive because they are thinking that Wriddhiman Saha is not long-term. Matthew Wade - overseas quota, IPL numbers okay-okay. So KS Bharat is an important player, once again when you see 150-160 and not beyond that."

The renowned commentator concluded by stating that although a like-for-like replacement was not available for Lockie Ferguson, the Titans made good acquisitions in the form of Shivam Mavi and Joshua Little. He added that the duo will come in handy as Yash Dayal has been struggling slightly with injuries lately.