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Follow UsA proven leader. An unparalleled Indian fast-bowling all-rounder. Almost a four-over bank with the ball. Someone who can swing the new ball and also bowl those hard lengths in the middle overs. Someone who can not only play the role of an anchor at No.4 but also hit those boundaries if and when needed. A livewire on the field. And the face of the franchise.
All these qualities in just one player, yes, we are talking about Hardik Pandya. These are the things he brings to the table, and these are the things Gujarat Titans (GT) are going to miss after trading him to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 auction. Pandya played a massive role in building the foundation for the Titans and led them to the title in their very first year in 2022, and to the final in 2023.
Also read - The bewildering case of Hardik Pandya’s trade
It all happened way too quickly but was quite fun. It was MI who introduced him to the cricketing world in 2015 before GT took his credentials to a different level. It’s like a star employee of a well-established organisation deciding to start his own Startup, making them successful in a short span of time before cashing out his stocks and returning back to the old organisation with a more reputed resume - that’s Pandya’s IPL story.
What has transpired in the last few days is nothing short of extraordinary, and it’s something that has never been seen in the IPL history, at least on such a big level. In what was an all-cash deal during the player trading window, Mumbai got back Pandya for INR 15 crore. What’s more, the Titans will also receive an additional transfer fee from Mumbai, of which 50 percent will go to Pandya.
On paper, it’s a profitable deal for GT, but what happens once the focus shifts to actual cricket? The captaincy has already been handed over to young and impressive Shubman Gill. However, Pandya’s departure has created some gaps in the Titans' set-up and it will be interesting to see how they take care of that in the auction.
Also read - Time for Gujarat and Gill to grow together
They will have the biggest purse (INR 38.15 crore) going into next month’s auction but will need a couple of world-class signings to replace a player of Pandya’s calibre. Even if they manage to do so, the Titans could still be forced to change the outlook of their XI and go in with sort of a new combination in IPL 2024.
Pandya’s presence gave them stability, something that they will now have to find in other players. We will have to wait for the auction on December 19 to find out how Gujarat are planning to fill the void created by Pandya’s departure. Howbeit, we can surely talk about what exactly those voids are.
A bankable Indian batter in middle-order
Mumbai largely used Pandya to lower down the order, but it all changed once he made the move to Gujarat. In 30 innings for GT, Pandya scored 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and a strike rate of 133.5, studded with six fifties, and all those knocks came at Nos. 3 and 4. The right-hander never batted below 4 for the Titans and played the role of an anchor to perfection. Across those two seasons, no one scored more runs than Pandya batting at those two positions.
Pandya didn’t produce mindblowing numbers with the bat, considering many scored more runs than him at a better strike rate, but whatever he did, it worked for the Titans. With Gill firing on all cylinders at the top and David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan finishing games down the order, Pandya gave GT some much-needed stability in the middle-order.
So, how do Gujarat make sure his absence isn’t felt in the batting department? If we look at all the retained players and assume that Wriddhiman Saha will open alongside Gill, GT will expect one of Kane Williamson, Sai Sudharsan or Vijay Shankar to play the role of Pandya.
Williamson has a strike rate of just 113.7 in 50 T20 innings since 2021 and will also end up taking that overseas spot. Sai also has a similar issue and it won’t be ideal to use him outside the top-three. Vijay is another option. However, you can’t expect him to be as consistent as Pandya.
The top three of Gill, Williamson and Sai look good on paper, but GT will then have to play Matthew Wade as their wicketkeeper, meaning they won’t be able to play an overseas pacer. Williamson could be replaced with Wriddhiman Saha, bringing in Abhinav Manohar in the middle-order. But again, there won’t be much quality.
Pandya’s bowling will be missed more
You could always bring in someone like Harry Brook to cover for his batting, but it’s Pandya’s bowling that GT will miss more. If fit, Pandya could easily give you 3-4 overs every game. In the previous two seasons, Pandya would open the bowling alongside Mohammed Shami and also bowl a couple of overs in the middle phase.
For Gujarat, Pandya picked up 11 wickets at a strike rate of 30.3 and an economy of 8.1. The right-arm seamer didn’t take too many wickets, however, operated at an economy of 8.1 in the powerplay and 7.7 in the middle overs. These are not great numbers, but he allowed the likes of Shami, Mohit Sharma and Alzarri Joseph to keep some of their overs for the death.
GT have also released Joseph, Yash Dayal and Shivam Mavi, leaving them with only Shami, Mohit, Joshua Little and Darshan Nalkande in the pace department. Now, the Titans must get an overseas middle-order batter and a couple of frontline seamers who can feature in the XI on a regular basis.
Thanks to the Impact Player rule, Gujarat also have the option of replacing Pandya with two overseas players, with both Wade and Williamson sitting out. Miller and Rashid are locked in and GT could bring in a reliable middle-order batter and an all-phase pacer in the XI. They can’t expect Mohit to have a similar season this year and will also need an Indian back-up. All these problems wouldn’t have existed if Pandya was still around.
A possible replacement
How about Azmatullah Omarzai? The fast-bowling all-rounder from Afghanistan had a pretty good ODI World Cup in India, scoring 353 runs at an average of 70.60 and a strike rate of 97.78. He also picked up seven wickets. Now, Omarzai is not a household name in the shortest format of the game but has all the ingredients to replace Pandya.
The 23-year-old has played 62 T20s and has scored runs at an average of 22.61 and a strike rate of 129.51. However, he has batted at No. 7 or below in almost 80 percent of his games. He has nine innings at Nos. 5 and 6, where he has slammed 243 runs at an average of 48.6 and a strike rate of 147.3. Even in the ODI World Cup, Omarzai operated at an average of 82.75, batting at No. 5.
Also read - The story behind the rise of Azmatullah Omarzai
There’s no harm in trying him at Nos. 4 and 5 in T20s. On top of that, he can also give you at least a couple of overs in every game. The right-arm pacer has 59 wickets in this format @ 24.93 and an economy of 7.76. We saw him move the new ball in the powerplay and also bowl a few overs in the middle phase, which is exactly what Pandya was doing for GT.
Now imagine him in the XI. The Titans could have Gill, Saha and Sai at the top and Omarzai at 4, with the likes of Vijay, Miller, Tewatia and Rashid to follow. The Titans have a lot of money in the purse and could easily get a proper all-phase overseas seamer. Omarzai is no Pandya, but could surely give them the exact balance.
