The current defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans (GT) led by Hardik Pandya shocked everyone in the last edition with their clinical performance in their debut season. Now they will have the onus of continuing that good performance in IPL 2023 which begins on March 31.
Gujarat Titans will open the IPL 2023 tournament with the first match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Hardik Pandya and co. will be eager to show their fans and IPL followers that their victory in the IPL 2022 was not a fluke and that they are a formidable unit.
Ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, GT traded Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Lockie Ferguson to Kolkata Knight Riders. While in the IPL 2023 auction, they acquired New Zealand’s Kane Williamson for his base price of INR 2 crores in a steal to solve their middle-order problem.
They also got KS Bharat, Josh Little, and Mohit Sharma amongst others in the auction, while keeping their core intact.
Keeping this in mind, Team COC presents the predicted best playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2023
Given that they need consolidation at the top, GT might want either Wriddhiman Saha or Kane Williamson to open with Shubman Gill. They also have the option of Matthew Wade, but given his performance last season, they might be a bit concerned.
Another option for GT is KS Bharat in case Saha fails to perform as per needs.
The middle order has been where Gujarat Titans shined in their title run in IPL 2022 as Hardik Pandya, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatia gave the firepower and hitting abilities to control the game and even win from situations where defeat was looming large.
They also have young stars like Abhinav Manohar and experienced Vijay Shankar to choose from in case they need more stability in the middle order.
Rashid Khan, the vice-captain of the side, also contributed with the bat last IPL season, and expect him to do it once more. To partner him in the spin department, GT has the options of Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, and Noor Ahmed, not to forget that Rahul Tewatia bowls as well.
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The pace department is where GT made some changes as they traded Lockie Ferguson to KKR despite him doing a good job for them in IPL 2022. So now to partner Mohammad Shami, GT has Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Shivam Mavi, and the likes of Pradeep Sangwan, Mohit Sharma, and Josh Little.
The GT will have a massive advantage of close to one lakh fans cheering them during their home games this season and many would expect them to defend their title successfully.
COC Predicted best playing XI for Gujarat Titans (GT):
Kane Williamson, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Shivam Mavi, Sai Kishore, Mohammad Shami
