The 15th season of the Indian Premier League saw the debut of the Gujarat Titans, who went on to win the championship thanks to some excellent cricket play. They have faith in the majority of their squad to improve for the upcoming season and released only six cricketers.
To prepare for defending their title in the 16th edition, GT bolstered their roster with top-tier players. Now, they boast a talented group that features a wonderful mix of young talent and seasoned veterans. In IPL 2023, however, not all 25 players will receive a shot. In this article, we’ll take a look at the cricketers who might not get a single game in this upcoming season.
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5. Darshan Nalkande
In the Indian domestic circuit, Darshan Nalkande has consistently shown his worth. He has played in 21 List-A games, taking 34 wickets at an economy rate of 5.68 in that time. In the shortest format, he has 57 wickets in 34 games while maintaining an economy rate of 7.60.
As part of their fast bowling attack, the Gujarat Titans picked up Nalkande at the 2022 mega auction. However, the teenager fell short of the mark, taking only two wickets over two games while allowing an alarmingly high 11.42 runs per game. Despite this, the team’s administration kept the Maharashtra pacer for the upcoming season.
India’s Shivam Mavi, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, and Pradeep Sangwan are just few of the pacers for Gujarat. There is a good chance that the top pacers will be at the top of the rankings because of their past success in the IPL. This means Nalkande may never play a game again.
4.Noor Ahmad
In Afghanistan’s cricketing community, Noor Ahmad is highly regarded as a promising young player. The teenage sensation made his debut at the 2019 Shpageeza Cricket League, where he grabbed eight wickets while spinning a web around the opposition. Since then, he has seen an increase in his popularity on the Twenty20 circuit.
In 50 matches at the shortest format level, Noor has taken 46 wickets at an economy rate of 7.20. In his first Twenty20 International, he bowled well for Afghanistan and took four wickets. At the 2022 super auction, GT bought a left-arm wrist spinner, but he never made the starting lineup.
Rashid Khan, one of the top overseas spinners, is on Gujarat’s roster. Furthermore, Indian spin alternatives Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore and Jayant Yadav are available to the defending champions, both of whom have shown promise in the IPL previously. That means Noor might spend all of 2023 doing nothing but sitting on the bench.
3.Mohit Sharma
In the Indian Premier League, Mohit Sharma has consistently delivered. The star fast bowler has appeared in 86 matches, racking up 92 wickets at an economy rate of 8.45. He has been instrumental in his team’s early-innings breakthroughs by making the ball do the talking.
In contrast, Mohit has not been granted regular playing time since the 2019 IPL season. With his extensive IPL background, Gujarat Titans added Mohit to their 16th edition roster to bolster their bowling.
However, the Haryana native probably won’t even get into the starting XI for a single game. With Indian seamers like Mavi, Shami, Dayal, and Sangwan already in Gujarat’s fast bowling stocks, Mohit’s prospects of making the team are slim.
2.Vijay Shankar
On the Indian subcontinental scene, Vijay Shankar has always been a safe bet. The 31-year-old bats at a strike rate of 90.57 and has scored 2316 runs in 92 List-A matches. To date, he has bowled 58 batters out for a total of 5.15 runs. At the 2022 mega auction, Gujarat Titans won him for their team.
The Indian all-rounder wasn’t nearly as effective as usual, scoring just 19 runs across four games. And the ball he attempted to strike had no effect on him. Shankar had a terrible season, but GT nevertheless decided to keep him for the upcoming 16th IPL season. However, he may or may not be fit enough to play in the first eleven.
Kane Williamson, of Gujarat, has been a run-bank at number three for them in the IPL. As an added bonus, they have Sai Sudharsan, who performed admirably last year, netting 145 runs in five games at an economy rate of 127.19. As a result, it’s quite doubtful that Shankar will receive a match in the upcoming season.
1. Odean Smith
Much ado was made of Odean Smith’s performances in the Caribbean Premier League 2021, when he snared 18 wickets and blasted 126 runs at a strike rate of 132.63. The Punjab Kings thought the West Indian all-rounder had enough potential to draught him in 2022.
But the 25-year-old had a terrible season, scoring just 51 runs in six games at a strikeout rate of 115.91. His run rate when bowling was a worrisome 11.87. Due to his dismal performance, the Punjab franchise cut ties with him.
The IPL 2023 auction saw the Gujarat Titans make a smart investment in the star all-rounder. But Odean appears to be more of a backup, and he may spend the entire season on the bench. Some of GT’s best players, such Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan, are all-around cricket stars with multiple skills. Odean is not likely to play for the squad because of the high calibre of the other all-around players.
The Jamica-born Hardik Pandya and company already have some serious international pacers in Alzarri Joseph and Josua Little, so the Jamica-born pacer may not even make the cut as a legitimate bowler.
