Simon Doull reckons the Gujarat Titans (GT) failed to find a suitable replacement for Hardik Pandya at the IPL 2024 auction. Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) by Gujarat Titans ahead of the auction. The 2022 IPL champions spent ₹30.30 crores to acquire the services of eight players. However, the Titans lost the bids for two big-ticket names Australian pacer Mitchell Starc and Indian bowling all-rounder Harshal Patel to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) respectively.
Gujarat Titans announced Shubman Gill as their skipper for the upcoming IPL 2024. However, the franchise couldn’t fill Hardik Pandya’s void in the auction as they couldn’t find an Indian fast-bowling all-rounder for the side. They have got Vijay Shankar to make up for the spot but he was not used as a bowling option in the 2023 IPL after the impact player rule came into effect.
Simon Doull was asked if Gujarat Titans were able to plug the holes in the IPL 2024 auctions to which he replied, “I don’t think they have plugged the hole that Hardik Pandya has left by any stretch of the imagination. But they have gone to Kartik Tyagi, so they have got some local bowling, which is what they needed – Umesh Yadav and Kartik Tyagi in particular.”
The former New Zealand seamer feels Spencer Johnson and Azmatullah Omarzai are good purchases for the Gujarat Titans. He elaborated, “Spencer Johnson was an interesting one for me. I like him. I think he is a very, very good cricketer. Moods (Tom Moody) knows a lot about him. He was obviously with Moods at the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. If you want an overseas all-rounder to fit into your side, Azmatullah Omarzai is an absolute steal at 50 lakhs.”
Azmatullah Omarzai Was A Steal For Gujarat Titans In The IPL Auction
The Ahmedabad-based franchise bought Spencer Johnson for ₹10 crore after failing to acquire Mitchell Starc’s services. Azmatullah Omarzai’s acquisition for ₹50 lakh added to their Afghanistan contingent as Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed are already present in the squad. Azmatullah Omarzai had a good run for Afghanistan in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Azmatullah Omarzai finished the World Cup with three half-centuries to his name coming against top teams like India and South Africa. He scored 62 against India, 73 against Sri Lanka, and 97 against South Africa in the World Cup. Omarzai also took seven wickets in nine matches for Afghanistan in the World Cup.
Gujarat Titans won the IPL in 2022 which was the year their first year playing the league. In IPL 2023, they reached the finals but lost to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in a rain-affected match in Ahmedabad. They have a good set of players for IPL 2024 and they can again hope for an excellent season.
Gujarat Titans Squad For IPL 2024: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudarshan, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Robin Minz, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahrukh Khan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmed, R Sai Kishore, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Sutha
