Champions in 2022 and last season's runner-ups, Gujarat Titans will head into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Auction in Dubai on December 19 with a Hardik Pandya-sized hole to fill. Having traded Hardik, who captained the side in the last two seasons, to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal, Gujarat Titans, however, will have a hefty purse of INR 38.15 crore - the most for any team - to address the enigmatic all-rounder's loss and potentially strengthen their squad at the IPL 2024 auction.
Barring Hardik's trade, GT have released eight players - Dasun Shanaka, Yash Dayal, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Pradeep Sangwan, Alzarri Joseph and Odean Smith.
A total of 17 players, including most of the heavy-hitters from last season, have been retained in the GT squad. In what will soften Hardik's loss a bit, New Zealand ace Kane Williamson, who missed last season with an injury, is back on the roster.
GT's retained players list for IPL 2024
Shubman Gill
David Miller
Wriddhiman Saha
Rahul Tewatia
Mohammed Shami
Mohit Sharma
Rashid Khan
Kane Williamson
Matthew Wade
Abhinav Manohar
Darshan Nalkande
Vijay Shankar
B Sai Sudharsan
Jayant Yadav
Josh Little
Noor Ahmad
R Sai Kishore
The Titans need at least one addition to their squad to meet the minimum requirement of 18 players, but can spread their budget across a total of eight players, including two overseas recruits.
GT's strategy for IPL 2024 auction
Though Williamson is not a like-for-like replacement for Hardik, a player of the Kiwi's calibre and experience will be expected to seamlessly slot into the line-up. The Kiwi skipper can also lend his expertise to the young Shubman Gill, who has been named the new GT captain after Hardik's departure.
However, GT will still need to replace Hardik in the squad and needless to say, an explosive all-rounder in Hardik's mould will be top the GT management's want list at the auction.
Afghan sensation Azmatullah Omarzai, a pacer and a power hitter like Hardik albeit with far lesser experience, can be the answer. Omarzai, however, is far from the finished product and will be an investment for the future.
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell will be another strong contender and presents a more readymade option. Mitchell, a former Rajasthan Royals player, comes with immense experience and has shown his ability to deliver on Indian tracks with both bat and ball at the ODI World Cup earlier this year.
Shardul Thakur may provide an interesting alternative if GT were to decide to safeguard their budget and foreign quota for a star name like Travis Head and Mitchell Starc.
Both Head and Starc will be on GT's radar. While going for Head will be an opportunity for GT to add an explosive top order batsman to their line-up, which is mostly populated by anchor players like Williamson, Saha, Sai Sudharshan and Vijay Shankar.
Starc, meanwhile, is a proven match-winner and can prove to be devastating if paired with Shami. Alzarri Joseph's departure has also left GT a pacer short. Starc, however, won't come cheap and Englishman David Willey may also prove to be a wily alternative for the role.
GT will also be in the market for a wicketkeeper-batter who can back up Saha. Shashank Singh and Luvnith Sisodia will be interesting picks for the position.
The likes of Shahrukh Khan, released by Punjab Kings heading into IPL 2024, the experienced James Neesham, Harry Brook and Finn Allen will be some of the other players in GT's watchlist in Dubai.