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Follow UsWhen Aditya Gadhvi and Dub Sharma voiced the “Aava De” rendition for Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2022, little did anyone think that would be a real war cry. Despite the presence of Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan, the core group lacked the spark to become a force to be reckoned with.
Even though the IPL Governing Council tried to bridge the gap by allowing them to negotiate up to four players from the release pool, it was nothing more than a spin to make the two newcomers feel good.
But wasn't that what makes IPL such an excellent exercise? IPL is where Moneyball takes precedence - where what you do on the day matters more than your reputation. Gujarat Titans, backed by Ashish Nehra’s philosophy of keeping things simple, debunked all pre-season predictions to take home the trophy.
In a season, Jos Buttler scored 863 runs alone; not a single Gujarat player could manage 500. Yet the collective might of Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill and David Miller accumulated a magnanimous 1451 runs to leave singular performers behind. Not a single bowler from Gujarat found themselves in the top six of the highest wicket-takers list, yet Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan grabbed 39 wickets between themselves.
The likes of Rahul Tewatia and Wriddhiman Saha - not more than journeymen in Indian cricket - found their groove as the entire Ahmedabad danced to the tunes of “Aava De”. A city with no big sporting culture has found acceptance as the new epicenter of Indian cricket.
Let’s move on from the stadium debate, shall we?
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“Fluke”
It is how many cricket analysts described Gujarat’s 2022 season. Never again was a spent force like David Miller going to recreate his 481-run season at an average of 68.71.
Never again was Wriddhiman Saha going to bash his way through the powerplay with a new-age star, Shubman Gill, looking stealthily from the other end.
Never again was a coconut-sipping former pacer-turned-coach going to bring back the same mojo to his team once again.
But that was how Gujarat Titans rolled in 2022 and left everyone questioning their logical sense of being in 2023. What was your prediction again?
Gill had matured as a player. While it was only natural for him to take the onus of batting on his shoulder – something that Virat Kohli has done so effortlessly over the years for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – Gujarat had unlikely stars in the form of B Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar.
Gill managed to accumulate 890 runs by himself at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80 - the holy grail of T20 greatness for an opener - but he also had the support of No.3 in the form of Sai Sudharsan. The Tamil Nadu youngster made everyone sit up and take notice of his talent with 362 runs off just eight games. Add to that an underpressure 96 in the final, you have your answer.
If they were not enough, Vijay Shankar showed his ability with 301 runs at an average of 37.62. Shoe-string by his lack of bowling due to fitness concerns, Pandya raised his batting game for yet another season to amass 371 runs - adding a versatile sense of invincibility to the then defending champions.
Even Saha, who had blown hot and cold throughout the season, had a few match-winning knocks for himself, too. Remember that 81 against Lucknow Super Giants that prompted Kohli to go wow on Instagram? Knocks like that played a vital role in Gujarat shaping their fortunes their own way.
On the bowling front, where only Rashid and Shami made a difference in 2022, they had the support of veteran Mohit Sharma for the company this time. The trio accumulated a total of 82 wickets between them.
So severe was the impact that even the likes of Noor Ahmad, who came into the attack upon the insistence of Ashish Kapoor, who was enamoured by his talent during the U19 World Cup, walked away with 16 wickets at an average of 23.06. Talk about stars aligning in the perfect direction.
Eventually, it was Chennai Super Kings who walked away with the honours - but the CVC Capital Partners-owned franchise had set themselves up for a memorable journey in the years ahead.
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Gujarat Titans’ season is almost over in IPL 2024. Sitting at the bottom of the table, there is no hope left, and an official elimination is just a matter of time.
Lady luck deserted them long before the season started. Particularly when Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians in December - leaving a leadership void in the franchise, who immediately announced Gill as the successor. If that was not enough, Mohammed Shami, India’s Hero in the World Cup, aggravated his knee injury and was ruled out of the IPL 2024.
One strike was still salvageable, but could you deal with a double whammy?
But like many things with Gujarat in the two previous seasons, many expected them to find unlike stars and turn around the fortunes in some way. Yet, the D-Day never arrived. Everything that had to go wrong did go wrong.
Gill found the proceedings hard to overcome, so much so that he only has a couple of half-centuries in 11 games. After nine matches, Saha averages just 15 and Vijay Shankar is yet to reach the 100-run mark. David Miller has stood up, but barely has he been able to steal the centrestage.
Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack has struggled in terms of wickets, having the third least wickets taken among all teams. While Rashid has gone wicketless in three straight games now, Noor, who has bowled almost all his overs in his preferred middle-overs phase, has gone at 40.8 and a strike rate of over 30.8. The less we talk about Mohit this season, the better.
The exact narrative that handed them a truckload of success in the last two seasons has cost them big-time in 2024, crippling them to a wooden spoon in their mouth.
The mega auction of 2025 will give them a chance to start on an even ground and then build from thereon. There has been no consensus about retention strategy yet, but Gujarat wouldn’t mind retaining their core.
However, as far as performance goes, this was a cycle to remember for the newest IPL entrants. And that won’t change, irrespective of where they finish this season.
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