Two seasons as an IPL franchise and two finals! Who said this was the most competitive T20 league in the world?
No side won more matches in the 2023 season than Gujarat Titans but they did lose the one that matters most in an epic final against CSK.
Can they overcome that defeat and the loss of their captain and star player in Hardik Pandya and make it 3 finals in a row?
GT Review of 2023
As with CSK, Gujarat Titans were strong in every department and every phase of the game last season.
With the bat, their real points of difference were the 3 centuries scored by Shubman Gill and the power hitting options that they always seemed to have at the end of the innings.
Gill finished as the leading run scorer in the tournament some 160 runs clear of his nearest rival. Not only that but he got those runs at a very impressive strike rate of 157. No other batsman who faced over 400 balls accumulated runs as quickly as he did.
As you can see from the stats above, GT's weakest area was run scoring in the powerplay with Saha struggling to really support Gill in getting the innings off to a flying start. He played all 17 games for GT but had the 2nd lowest strike rate in the powerplay of any batsmen who faced more than 200 balls in that phase of the game. Add to that the fact that he only went on to record 2 half centuries and that is an area that GT will need to look at for IPL 2024.
Why it didn't generally cost them last season was due to the strength of the middle and lower order, at least one of whom always seemed to come up with some big hits towards the back end of the innings. Vijay Shankar, Miller, Manohar, Tewatia and Rashid Khan all played match winning knocks at times throughout the tournament.
With ball in hand they were similarly excellent across all 3 phases led by Shami up front, Rashid Khan through the middle and then Mohit Sharma at the death. Those 3 ended up fighting their own intra-club battle for the purple cap with Shami just pipping the other 2 at the end although Mohit Sharma can point to the fact that he bowled significantly fewer deliveries than the other 2 ending with the incredible strike rate of a wicket every 9 balls!
GT also had a very useful supporting cast of bowlers with Noor Ahmed being used more frequently as the season progressed and forming a very effective partnership through the middle overs with his fellow Afghan Rashid Khan.
All of this was of course stitched together by a very strong coaching and management team who seem to work well together in getting the most out of the group of players they have as well as the on field captain in Hardik Pandya who looks like the perfect leader for a T20 side.
GT IPL 2024 auction
The big change for GT occurred pre-auction with the decision of Hardik Pandya to leave the franchise and head back to Mumbai as their new captain.
That does represent a significant loss for GT given the way that Hardik had lead this side, helping to forge a sense of purpose and identity almost immediately for a new franchise and group of players.
It did mean that GT entered the auction with a decent chunk of money to spend but by in large, they stayed away from getting involved in some of the really big bidding wars with the exception of Mitchell Starc who they ultimately missed out on. As a result, they snapped up an alternative Aussie left-armer in Spencer Johnson whose stock is certainly been on the rise throughout 2023.
They also signed Shahrukh Khan to add to their already impressive list of hitters at the back end of the innings as well as young left-handed keeper batsman Robin Minz of whom a lot is expected. As noted above, his addition could be particularly significant considering Saha's struggles last year.
GT Squad strengths and weaknesses IPL 2024
Career T20 records v types of bowling and in phases of the game
As the stats above show, GT still lack a first choice player who can really assert themselves in the powerplay. That means their tactics will once again revolve around the likes of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan batting through large portions of the innings and setting it up for the battery of hitters to do some damage at the end.
Despite playing in just 8 matches last season, Sai Sudharsan finished as the team's 2nd highest run scorer and having made his ODI debut for India in 2023 you'd expect that he will be given plenty of opportunities to establish himself further in IPL 2024. Beyond that, India are crying out for some left-handed options in their batting across all formats so watch this space ...
If GT choose to fast track Robin Muniz into their middle order then it's quite possible that Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill will open the batting. Both these players strength against all forms of bowling means that if they do get themselves in they can make significant scores just as Gill did in IPL 2023.
The alternatives at the top of the order would be for GT to use one of their experienced overseas players in Wade or Williamson. Wade played 10 matches in the 2022 season for GT and struggled to the extent that he didn't feature at all last year despite Saha's indifferent form. He'd certainly be the most aggressive powerplay option that they have on their books. Meanwhile, Kane Williamson was injured on his IPL debut for GT and didn't feature again. He could play an important role as a leader to support new captain Shubman Gill but he lacks the power to really trouble opposition either during the powerplay or against spin in the middle overs.
In fact, GT's batting options versus slower bowling are something of a concern. Vijay Shankar and David Miller will need to use their significant experience to assist Gujarat during that middle over period and attempt to set things up for their big hitters at the death.
Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Manohar and Rashid Khan can all cause significant damage particularly against pace bowling in those last few overs but you wouldn't want them at the crease much earlier than that given their collectively poor records againsr spin.
Career T20 bowling stats by phase of the game
The return of Mohit Sharma from the cricketing wilderness was a massive part of GT's success last season. If he can continue to deliver at the death then it allows the Titans to fully utilise Shami's ability with the new ball while simultaneously giving GT the option of brining in Noor Ahmed rather than using one of their overseas quicks.
The additions of Umesh Yadav and Kartik Tyagi as back up to Shami and Mohit respectively suggests that GT would like to continue with the twin wrist-spinners where possible booked ended by Indian pace bowling specialists.
Of course Johnson and Little also provide a useful left-arm option and they could be particularly well suited to pitches in Ahmedabad if there is a bit of movement on offer.
Perhaps the biggest concern for GT is their lack of a genuine all-rounder. Hardik Pandya didn't bowl a huge amount last year (25 overs across 11 innings) but he did offer that 6th bowling option when fit.
GT do have a number of batsmen who can bowl including the likes of Tewatia (once a frontline wrist spinner in the IPL), Vijay Shankar and a few others who bowl at regional level but who haven't been given the chancec in the IPL yet.
With the new substitute rules, the lack of a genuine all-rounder has become less of a concern but it does still require your top order to bat very well and for you to be confident that your frontline bowlers will deliver their 4 overs.
That was certainly the case for GT last season but as we saw with Rajasthan Royals (another side lacking a genuine all-rounder) last season, if your top order's form falters or 1 or 2 of your bowlers have a bad day then that lack of depth can cost you.
GT IPL 2024 Predictions
I think this season could prove to be more challenging for Gujrat Titans than their first 2 years in the IPL have.
The loss of Hardik Pandya is damaging both from the point of his leadership and the balance he offers the squad. Shubman Gill is a talented player but will have to learn very quickly how to continue being the side's star batsman and now their on field leader. At 24-years-old, he will be the youngest captain in IPL 2024 going up against guys who have been doing the job for decades.
Last season, the Titans had arguably 4 players in the tournament's best XI. Carrying that kind of form from year to year is incredibly challenging and so GT will need a few others to step up if they are to make it through to a 3rd consecutive final, a feat achieved only once in the tournament's history (CSK managed 4 in a row 2010-2013).
There are also some fitness concerns for Rashid Khan who withdrew from both the recent SA20 and PSL tournaments and did not play for Afghanistan on their tour of India. While Mohammed Shami has also not played in the current Test series against England due to injury. The loss of either for some part of the season would be a massive blow.
There is still enough quality in the side to suggest that they can make the playoffs but I don't see them being quite the force they have been over the last couple of seasons.