From 2022 , IPL is going to have 2 brand new teams and one of them is the Ahmedabad franchise , bought by CVC Capital for a whooping 5625 crores (over 692 million USD).They have not yet announced their official team name nor released their official team logo.
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has been roped in as the head coach of the Ahmedabad IPL team.Former England batsman and Surrey head coach Vikram Solanki has been appointed as the Director of Cricket while the former Proteas batsman and once a coach of the Indian Cricket Team Gary Kirsten, the mentor for the team. Interestingly, this trio had worked earlier for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2019 season.
With 3 draft picks allowed as per rules , they picked Hardik Pandya,Shubhman Gill and the poster boy of Afghanistan, Rashid Khan.
Gujarat Titan's Draft Picks :
Hardik Pandya(15 crores)
Rashid Khan(15 crores)
Shubhman Gill (8 crores)
Purse amount spent: 38 crores
Purse amount remaining: 52 crores
They have also appointed Hardik Pandya as the skipper for their maiden IPL season.
Now let's have a look at the players they bought, how they have fared in IPL so far and check if Ahmedabad were wise enough in investing upon them.
Hardik Pandya
Having so far represented the Mumbai Indians , Hardik Pandya needs no introduction.This will be the first time he will not be representing Mumbai Indians and he is most likely not going to mind it.
Hardik Pandya has so far amassed 1476 runs in IPL at an average of 27.3.But the striking point is that he has scored all these runs at an strike rate of 153.9.In addition to it he also has 42 wickets in 92 games.But the thing that made Mumbai Indians release him that he failed last year and has not been bowling for some time now due to injury.Given his poor form and injury concerns,it was a risky call for Ahmedabad to take him at 15 crores and on top of it make him captain.
It can be concluded that though Hardik’s form in the recent past doesn’t give immense encouragement to any franchise, however, his abilities speak volumes of his cricket and thus he is on the list.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan wanted to be retained as SRH’s first choice player, while SRH wanted Kane Williamson to get that honour, which led to the fallout between Rashid Khan and SRH and thus we had Rashid Khan being released by SRH.This gave Ahmedabad the opportunity to pounce on him.He is at present one of the best T20 players going around in the world.He has a brilliant track record in IPL picking up 93 wickets at an average of 20.6 and has an economy rate of just 6.33.He also can give the ball a whack batting in the death overs.He seem to be worth the amount he will be getting.
Shubhman Gill
Having started his career with KKR , he now gets his second IPL team.He is a solid opening batsman with eye catching strokes and is fairly consistent.But there are times when he has failed to keep up the scoring rate.So, Shubhman Gill can be said to be a topsy-turvy buy for the Ahmedabad team.
Players to Target :
With 38 crores already spent , Ahmedabad now has to plan the auction smartly.They can't spend too much on few players and make an imbalanced team.They will be looking in for some steal buys with one or two big guns.With Shubhman Gill being able to play the anchor role and Hardik Pandya having the ability to finish the innings explosively , they will be looking for good middle order batsman and an explosive opener.They will have Rashid Khan to lead the spin department and will be looking for someone to lead the pace attack.Here's a list of few players they can target in the auction :
Trent Boult:
He has done extraordinarily well for the Mumbai Indians in the last 2 seasons and can lead the pace attack very well. An avid wicket taker in the powerplay, Ahmedabd would want such a kind of calibre player to start things in the perfect manner and Boult gives the advantage of left arm pace and early wickets in the powerplay for the team.
Backup option: Arzan Nagwaswalla:
Getting a left arm pacer in the Indian circuit is a rarity now and getting an uncapped left arm medium pacer who is a local guy is another rarity. Luckily, Ahmedabad has that luxury and can buy him in the best rate possible and use him as a good player in the pace department. He has been a standy and backup pacer in the recent Indian tour to England and would definitely be in the watchout in the auctions.
Kagiso Rabada:
The purple cap winner of IPL 2020 will be one of the most sought after players this auction and Ahmedabad should definitely give a try. His fiery pace and toe crushing yorkers and his death bowling adds up to the formula to bamboozle the opponents. His recent concern of bowling too many no-balls would be kept in mind, but given his performance and the value he brings, he would be a good buy to get.
Backup option: Lockie Ferguson:
A fiery pacer who talks more with his bowling, Lockie Ferguson would be a valuable asset to any team he plays for. Though not played much for his former franchise KKR, he had perfomed well in the limited opportunities he had got and would do more better if given a long rope. His addition to the pace department on paper would itself look deadly.
David Warner:
He has been one of the best batsman in IPL and has amassed over 500 runs during the 2014-17 seasons and in 2019-20 season.With a poor run last year and as a result being removed from captaincy and later from team , he had a fall out with the SRH management.Though he was the player of the series in the T20 WC last year , SRH management decided to look ahead of him and thus we have him back at the auction. His presence would be electrifying and can lend support to Shubman Gill who would play the anchor role for the team.
Backup option: Paul Stirling:
A world class opener from Ireland, who is also a household opener in various leagues across the globe, Paul Stirling would be another good choice for the opening slot. His records speaks volumes of his T20 batting and he can even roll his arms when his captain needs.
Harshal Patel:
The purple cap winner from last year will be another player the Ahmedabad team can have a look at. A player who came up in the limelight in the 2021 season of the IPL, Harshal Patel would be the man to go when dealing with slow back of the arm balls and picking wickets at intervals and providing the impetus to the team. His slow cutters would be a deadly formula for the opponents to solve and would solve the uncapped quota for the team.
Backup option: Jason Holder:
A backup option for the middle order and also a medium pacer to support the pace department, Holder, already a known face in the IPL through the Sunrisers Hyderabad, would be a great addition to the team. His recent achievement of being the first West Indian and the fourth overall in iT20s in picking 4 wickets in 4 balls would add more flavour to the teams out there for bidding.
Rassie van der Dussen:
One of the best limited overs batsman at present who can give the team a much needed stability in the middle order. His contribution for the South African national team is immeasurable and would add value to the team. His shots are a treat to the eyes and he recently joined hands with Aiden Markram in the recently concluded World T20 held at UAE and revived the fighting spirit and threw hat in the race for the top batter in the shortest format.
Backup option: Shahrukh Khan:
A middle order finisher is what every team would vie for and Shahrukh Khan fits the bill very well. His game under pressure for his state team has been an asset and he can even roll his arms when needed. He was not used much by his previous franchise Punjab Kings, but with his recent performances in the limited over domestic competitions, he would be a hot property to be acquired.
Other than these hot picks, here's a list of players that the Ahmedabad management can go for :-
Faf du Plessis:
Faf Du Plessis, a household name of the Chennai Super Kings unit, would be a hot pick in the auction and would do good for the Ahmedabd franchise lending support to the opening. He is also an excellent fielder and his partnership with Hardik, Rashid would be a treat to watch in the ground.
Mitchell Marsh:
An integral part of the Australian T20 team in the recent days, Mitchell Marsh is a known face for wrong reasons in the IPL due to his injury whenever he enters the tournament. But he has been giving more concentration to it and has been giving his best to maintain injury free. His recent promotion to No.3 worked wonders for Australia wherein he chirped with runs whenever the top 2 failed. He is also handy with the ball and can chip in with few overs of his medium pace.
Nitish Rana:
Nitish Rana, for most of his part, played in the middle order up until recently, he was promoted to the top order by the KKR mangement who had now released him into the auction. Rana already has experience playing with Shubman Gill in the KKR, opening the innings and playing some impactful innings. Their combo, if joined again, would be a good start for the franchise.
Ishan Kishan:
A hot property in the auctions who can don the role of keeping which is a major missing in the picks of the Ahmedabad franchise, Ishan Kishan provides the impetus of keeping behind the wickets and also provding the opening option along with Shubman Gill, giving a left-right combo at the top. He is a fantatstic fielder too holding onto some astonishing catches and in case, the franchise looks out for another keeper, Kishan can do wonders on the field. His earlier contribution to Gujarat Lions and Mumbai Indians speaks volumes about him.
Dinesh Karthik & Wriddhiman Saha:
T20 is a game wherein sky high shots and tight bowling doesn't define it, but experience in handling the game plays an important role. And, most imporantly, being in the groove for a longer period would be an added advantage. Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha fit the bill and their experience in the game and keeping behind the wickets also add up to their camarderie. While the former can hold the innings and also blast in the middle, the latter has experience both in the middle and the top.
Amit Mishra & Shreyas Gopal:
Leg spinners contribution to the game of T20 has been an impeccable one and one of the legendaries of the IPL and a little experienced chap in the IPL circuit, Amit Mishra and Shreyas Gopal would be a great addition to Rashid Khan in the spin department. While Amit Mishra is in the top wicket takers of all time IPL, Shreyas Gopal has been off late a bit tacky and would love to improve himself and show his skills. One shouldn't forget the hattrick he took against RCB in a rain curtailed 6 over match including removing Virat Kohli and ABD Villiers.
Ravichandran Ashwin & Shahbaz Ahmed:
Finger spinners, like the leg spinners, have also had thier equal share of successes in the shortest format and the ones mentioned here have also had good successes in the game. While the former is a legend of the game and has still the fire in him to perform and take the team forward, the latter is slowly coming up the ranks and is still in the process of becoming a great sensation in the IPL. Their previous sides had given them the good exposure for them to pick at a good price and their contributions, wherever they are, would add value to the team and the game.
Jofra Archer:
One of the most sought after players in the global leagues, Jofra Archer has had his share of performing in the IPL and catching all eyeballs while playing for the Rajasthan Royals. He is now rigged with his injuries and would not be able to play in the 2022 IPL season, but the England Cricket Board has assured him of playing in the 2023 and 2024 season. With the speculation of no mega auctions in the near future, this would be an apt time to pick him and have him in the squad for the future.
Krunal Pandya:
Local talents would always give the best advantage physically and psychologically by their presence. Krunal Pandya has had his share of experience in performing along with his brother in the Mumbai Indians and they have made a good combo while playing together. The Pandyas, joining hands together again, would be no surprise and would be a player to watch out for in the auctions.
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