Gujarat Titans (GT) made their stunning debut in the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and played an exciting brand of cricket to give each and every franchise a run for their money. Eventually, they went on to script history by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final showdown and winning the IPL title.
As Gujarat entered the 16th IPL edition, they needed to be at their best in a bid to defend their IPL crown. However, it was difficult to replicate the exploits of their title-winning season but Hardik Pandya & Co. were up for the challenge. They were quite exceptional with both bat and ball and won 10 out of 14 matches in the league stage.
However, GT stuttered in Qualifier 1 and suffered a loss against Chennai Super Kings by 15 runs. However, after the defeat, they came back strongly and registered a comprehensive win against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 to make their way into the summit clash.
Now, Gujarat Titans will cross swords with Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, May 28 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. They are just a step away from rewriting history and becoming only the third team after Chennai and Mumbai to successfully defend their IPL crown.
The Gujarat management would take a lot of heart from the fact their opening batter Shubman Gill has been batting like a dream in the ongoing season. He has obliterated oppositions with his marauding bat and piled on runs for fun. The ace batter has amassed 851 runs in 16 matches and is the Orange Cap holder of the season.
Moreover, Gujarat’s bowling unit is arguably the most formidable bowling line-up of the ongoing season and has delivered the goods time and time again. Interestingly, the top three wicket-takers of the 16th IPL edition are from the GT franchise. Mohammed Shami is the current Purple Cap holder with 28 scalps to his name, followed by Rashid Khan (27 wickets) and then comes Mohit Sharma (24 wickets).
It will be interesting to see if the Hardik-led side would be able to put up a strong showing against the four-time IPL champions in the high-voltage clash on Sunday and win the T20 carnival.
