This auction of the Tata IPL 2023 took place on the 23rd of December 2022 in Kochi. It was the usual scenario of franchises engaged in a frenzied bidding war to form the perfect team to claim the highly-coveted IPL trophy.
Gujarat Titans (GT) were possibly one of the few teams not having to make numerous purchases prior to the auction. The Hardik Pandya-led team became the second team in history to win the IPL award in the first season and therefore did not have many weak points within the team to fill.
The Gujarat Titans bought a total of seven players to create a squad with full capacity with 25 members. The 7 players acquired by GT included Kane Williamson (Rs2 crores), Odean Smith (Rs50 lakhs), K.S. Bharat (Rs1.2 crores), Shivam Mavi (Rs6 crores), Urvil Patel (Rs20 lakhs), Joshua Little (Rs4.4 crores) along with Mohit Sharma (Rs50 lakhs).
We now have all the details regarding GT’s purchases during the auction, let’s begin our SWOT analysis on the champions who are defending their title in IPL 2023.
Strengths
The 2022 IPL Champions are a team with no weak points. Under the guidance by famous Hardik Pandya the team is awash with talent across all three departments in the sport.
In the past, the batsmen’s lineup did appear unimpressive on paper contrasted to other teams and GT frequently requiring heroics from their finishers Rahul Tewatia David Miller, and Rashid Khan to help them reach over the line. But, the addition of top batters such as Kane Williamson and K.S. Bharat can add more stability to the line-up of batters.
The bowling squad already includes players like Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal and Rashid Khan was further strengthened with the addition that included Mohit Sharma Joshua Little and Shivam Mavi. All in all, Gujarat Titans look like an evenly balanced side that looks ready to begin the journey to defend their first IPL trophy.
Weaknesses
GT have a squad that has none of the major weaknesses. Their batting lineup was a little fragile at times in the past, but the presence to the team of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will give it a better impression on the surface.
Even though Kane Williamson is one of the most effective batters around but his poor performance in recent times in T20 cricket have seen him fall in to the bottom of the list. The low strike rate he has shown in recent months has also seen him the subject of criticism.
In 2018, the 2018 Orange Cap winner is no doubt a top player, however recent patterns suggest against him. The drop in his value from an estimated Rs14 crore last year to just two million this time is testimony of his troubles playing the bat on the field in T20 cricket.
The bulk of GT’s IPL title defense will be focused on the Kiwi master as well as his capacity to reveal his true self through the bat. They’re missing an experienced spinner aside from Rashid Khan might also prove difficult on the pitch that is turning in India.
Opportunities
As previously mentioned as well, this IPL offers the chance of Kane Williamson to redeem himself by playing in the shortest form of this game. In addition, this year’s IPL offers a second chance for young players such as Yash Dayal or Sai Kishore to prove their potential at the top level.
Joshua Little became the first Irish cricketer to sign an agreement with the IPL after being scouted by Gujarat. Joshua Little is eager to be a part of the most prestigious T20 tournament in the world.
Threats
There are only two teams in the league, and that’s Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020) and the Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and the Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020) were successful in defending their titles with success during the last few seasons. In addition they Gujarat Titans relied too much on their middle-order players to win games in the last season this year, which is a risky scenario.
Furthermore, unlike last year’s and the previous one, this season’s IPL will take place in multiple cities, besides Mumbai as well as Pune. The way in which the relatively new franchise reacts and adjusts to the spin-friendly wickets of Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata with only one skilled spinner (Rashid Khan) on their roster is another crucial element for their continued success.
GT (Gujarat Titans) Full Squad for IPL 2023
Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma.
We conclude our SWOT analysis of Gujarat Titans after their Tata IPL 2023 auction. Are you pleased with the purchase made by the champions of the last season? Tell us in the comment section below.
