The sudden shift of tides within the Indian Premier League beckons a period of strategic reevaluation for the champions of 2022, the Gujarat Titans. Hardik Pandya, the acclaimed all-rounder, and captain, who guided the Titans to a stellar victory in their debut season and to a respectable second-place finish the following year, is now on the cusp of rejoining the Mumbai Indians, his IPL inception team. Pandya, a linchpin in both the IPL and the international circuit, was originally brought onboard the Gujarat outfit for a staggering 15 Crore before the 2022 mega auctions.
This speculation, seeded by a report from ESPN Cricinfo, has sent ripples across the Gujarat Titans’ camp, with the prospect of losing not just a player, but a leader. The franchise’s eyes are now charting potential candidates, capable not only of wearing the captain’s hat but also of forging a robust team in the wake of the upcoming auctions.
As the Titan’s faithful hold their breath, here’s a look at five stalwarts who could ascend to the role of Gujarat Titans’ skipper:
1 – Shubman Gill: It could be time for the young prodigy, Shubman Gill, to grace a new frontier — the captaincy of the Gujarat Titans. Gill’s bat, bristling with runs, has spoken loud and clear throughout 2023. With a resume boasting 9 international centuries and 3 in the IPL, complemented by 18 half-centuries in both arenas, entrusting Gill with the reins might just be the spark needed for a fresh, dynamic leadership.
2 – Kane Williamson: Should youth be too tender, the Titans have the ace of experience up their sleeve in Kane Williamson. The composed Kiwi, a World Test Championship maverick and the mainstay of New Zealand’s runners-up Odyssey in the ODI World Cup, brings a rich vein of tactical nous. His IPL involvement was curtailed to a single game in 2023 owing to an injury, yet his ascension to captaincy could be the masterstroke Gujarat yearns for.
3 – Dasun Shanaka: The Titans could also look towards Dasun Shanaka, a man familiar with the weight of leadership at the international level. Steering the Sri Lankan squad to the pinnacle of the Asia Cup in 2022, his foray into the previous IPL season as a substitute for Williamson showed glimpses of his caliber.
4 – Rashid Khan: Afghani maestro Rashid Khan, a bowler who can conjure spells of bewilderment, stands as another robust nomination. With an extensive IPL spell behind him and captaincy innings across all three formats for Afghanistan, Rashid’s tactical acumen could be crucial for the Titans’ quest to retain supremacy.
5 – Matthew Wade: The Australian virtuoso Matthew Wade personifies grit and gristle — a potential leader who knows what it takes to claim the world stage, as evidenced by his part in Australia’s triumph in the 2021 T20 World Cup. With experience in captaining Australia in more than half a dozen T20 Internationals, Wade’s guidance could bolster the Titans’ campaign.
The Gujarat Titans, while basking in the glory of relatively recent conquests, now stand at a crossroads. As the cricket world speculates, it is the leadership that will forge the path ahead, a decision as critical as any game on the field. The Titans, with an armoury of potential captains, will soon make a choice expected to resonate through the echelons of IPL history. The impending auctions irk closer, and with them, a new chapter for the Gujarat Titans is set to unfold, possibly under a new custodian of their illustrious mantle.