Former Indian captain and legend Sunil Gavaskar believes that Gujarat Titans (GT) could once again be one of the top four teams and qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs.
This time GT will be under the leadership of Shubman Gill and direction of Ashish Nehra. Hardik Pandya led the Ahmedabad-based franchise in the last two seasons and led the team to the finals in both seasons.
The Gujarat Titans won the title in IPL 2022, which was their inaugural season, and then finished runners-up last season after being defeated by Chennai Super Kings, who won their fifth IPL title last year.
However, GT will be without the services of Hardik Pandya this year as their former captain was transferred to his former franchise Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL auction. Hardik Pandya will lead the Mumbai Indians this season and meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans announced Shubman Gill as their new captain.
Gujarat Titans is led by former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra, who has a very managerial approach towards the franchise. He is always seen standing on the sidelines and giving periodic suggestions to his team during the match, much like a soccer coach does to his team.
He was asked to be the head coach of the Gujarat Titans in 2022 and guided them to the title in the inaugural season. Nehra is one of the most strategic coaches in the IPL and his direction can be seen in the success the franchise has achieved in just a couple of seasons.
Sunil Gavaskar was asked during a discussion on Star Sports about the Gujarat Titans‘Prospects in IPL 2024 under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. He replied, “Also, Ashish Nehra will be the one holding the reins. With Ashish Nehra holding the reins and guiding Shubman Gill, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gujarat Titans are back in the top four.”
Gujarat Titans have a strong team ahead of IPL 2024
The 2022 IPL champions have built a strong team for this season and have a strong lineup with players like Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami and Matthew Wade in the team.
They acquired players like Spencer Johnson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahrukh Khan and Umesh Yadav in the IPL auctions and have formed a very balanced team for the upcoming IPL season.
The toughest task in this team will be for Shubman Gill who will be leading a team for the first time in his career and it will be a challenge for him to bring out the best in every player and lead the team from the front. We have seen young captains flourish in the IPL like Rohit Sharma (2013), Shreyas Iyer (2019) and Rishabh Pant (2022).
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is expected to begin in the third week of March and end in the last week of May. Gujarat Titans are one of the favorites to qualify for the playoffs this season and are hoping to play in their third consecutive final in the Indian Premier League.
