IPL Auction 2022: After three exciting picks, can Hardik-led Gujarat Titans get the auction right?

Hardik Pandya’s last international match was at the T20 World Cup in November last year. Since then, he has been on the sidelines due to injury and/or getting fitter. There was some lack of clarity regarding the nature of his injury but it was understood he was working on regaining strength and fitness.

This injury forced him to miss and/or sit out the New Zealand series at home, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the South Africa tour, and the ongoing ODI series against West Indies followed by the T20 Internationals. In the most recent development, he even decided to skip the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.

In the middle of all of this, though, Pandya was unveiled as the captain of one of the two new Indian Premier League teams – the Gujarat Titans, owned by CVC Capital Partners (Irelia Company Pte Ltd). The franchise will enter the auction with Rs 52 crore in their purse.

Now, there is no denying that Pandya possesses immense potential. If he is batting at his best, he will probably make it to most white-ball teams in the world even if he doesn’t bowl. His power hitting is world class and he can be a genuine match-winner in the middle order.

With Mumbai Indians, Pandya also tasted a great amount of success and knows what it takes for a team to be consistent. But the fact remains that he doesn’t have any experience of captaincy at the highest level. It will be a new role for him in a new environment and Gujarat Titans would perhaps want to be patient as he settles in.

In Rashid Khan, the Titans have arguably the best white-ball spinner in world cricket. The Afghan international was a key figure in the Sunrisers Hyderabad set-up for five years. He was among the top two bowlers in each IPL season he played for the Sunrisers. Rashid can be used as a strike bowler and also to contain run-flow, and the Titans will do well to manage him carefully.

The third and final signing by Gujarat Titans is Shubman Gill. Again, the young opener has incredible potential and was the highest run-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders as they made their way to the final last season. He is comfortable against both pace and spin and if he can figure out a way to start his innings confidently, he will be set for plenty of runs. (He could do with caring a bit more about strike rates, though).

A crucial factor for the Gujarat Titans will be their stadium in Ahmedabad. It is the largest cricket stadium in the world with massive boundaries square of the wicket. If the ongoing ODI series between India and West Indies is to go by, the pitch in Ahmedabad has a considerable amount of juice for fast bowlers too. These are points the franchise will need to keep in mind while building its squad at the mega auction, even if there is a chance that they might not play at the venue right away.

Gujarat’s support staff includes Ashish Nehra as head coach, Gary Kirsten as mentor and batting coach, and Vikram Solanki as director of cricket.

Who’s saying what

Hardik Pandya told PTI while speaking about captaincy: “From Virat Kohli, I will pick his aggression and passion, his energy which is tremendous. From Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) it’s the composure, calmness, remaining same in every situation, trying to see what new things he can add. And from Rohit Sharma, I would pick the freedom as he lets the player decide what he wants to do. These three qualities if I can pick up, it will be a very good combination.”

The team has ensured they have three picks who could each go on to become superstars for the side in the years to come. Now, it will be over to finding the right balance in the auction.