Hardik Pandya who hasn’t been part of the Indian squad for quite some time will lead one of the new franchises – Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. Along with Hardik Pandya, GT managed to sign Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill before the IPL Auction. GT has got Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten in the coaching staff and it is a reunion for these two stalwarts as they were a part of the RCB coaching staff a few years back.
Gujarat Titans have got a good bowling line-up but the batting might not be up to the mark. Having said that if Hardik Pandya can get back to his best then their batting can become formidable. They have got a good mix of overseas players and it won’t be that easy to pick four overseas players for GT. They need to balance it out with the young Indians. So let us have a look at the four overseas players for GT who could start in the playing XI.
1. Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is surely one of the four overseas players for GT in IPL 2022. His name would be the second name on the team sheet after the captain Hardik Pandya. Rashid Khan is the best T20 spinner in the world and he has been a superstar in the IPL as well. Despite having a quiet season in IPL 2021, he picked up 18 wickets in just 14 games at an economy rate of 6.69.
His IPL numbers are just mind-boggling. He has picked up 93 wickets in 76 games at an economy rate of 6.33. Apart from this, he adds a lot of batting value at No.8. He can come in and play those game-changing cameos. Rashid Khan will be the most crucial player for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.
2. Lockie Ferguson
Gujarat Titans managed to get the New Zealand pacer – Lockie Ferguson for 10 CR in the IPL Auction. He is one quickest bowler in the world right now and so he will be one of the four overseas players for GT in IPL 2022. Ferguson was brilliant in the second half of the last IPL season as he picked up 13 wickets in just 8 games.
He is good at bowling the hard length and has a good yorker which can be used at the death. He has hurried many top batters and the pitches in Mumbai and Pune will suit his bowling style. Ferguson is a great buy for Gujarat Titans.
3. Matthew Wade
Gujarat Titans left it quite late to get a wicket-keeper but eventually managed to get Matthew Wade and Wriddhiman Saha. Saha should be the back for GT and Wade should be the first choice wicket-keeper in the GT playing XI.
Matthew Wade is pretty flexible with his batting position as he came in as a finisher in the Australian T20I side which won the World Cup. Wade famously smashed three sixes in three balls against Shaheen Afridi in the semi-final. With Roy opting out of the tournament, he can now open the innings with Shubman Gil. Wade has a good all-around game and he is a good keeper, so this could be a great buy for Gujarat Titans.
4. David Miller
Gujarat Titans managed to buy David Miller in the second round of the auction when the unsold players were called back. With Jason Roy opting out of the tournament, David Miller should fill in the role of a middle-order finisher which would have been filled by Matthew Wade if Roy would have been available.
Miller has been part of the IPL but hasn’t played a lot of games over the last couple of seasons. Having said that, he is still a fearsome finisher and has shown his quality at the international level for South Africa. If Miller gets going then it could be some fun for the crowd and a serious issue for the opposition bowlers.
