GT vs CSK. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Gujarat Titans won the Indian Premier League in their debut season in 2022 and finished as the runners-up in 2023. After that, things changed significantly in the camp. Captain Hardik Pandya left the franchise to join Mumbai Indians and that affected the team heavily as they finished eighth on the points table in the 2024 edition of the competition.
Shubman Gill replaced Pandya at the helm of things but he did not have enough captaincy experience, which was very evident at one point. On top of that, the senior players struggled to get going and that created a lot of problems. Mohit Sharma, who finished as one of the leading wicket-takers in 2023, picked up 13 in the 2024 edition, while star spinner Rashid Khan picked 10.
The batters too flopped from time to time and now, Gujarat need changes to once again fight for the coveted trophy. A few reports claim that Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki, the head coach and Director of Cricket in Gujarat Titans are likely to part ways ahead of the new season. Overall, plenty of changes are expected in the Gujarat camp but there are players that the team management won’t let go of any cost.
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Here are the three players GT might release:
3. Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Mohit Sharma joined Gujarat Titans as one of the net bowlers in 2022. Coach Nehra was impressed with his performance and decided to include him in the squad in 2023. He stunned everyone in the season, picking up 27 wickets in 14 matches and finished as the joint second-leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He played a vital part in GT qualifying for the finals but unfortunately, it was he who leaked a boundary in the final ball of the final, which helped CSK win the tournament.
Mohit was not as effective in the 2024 season. He played 12 matches and picked up 13 wickets at an economy of 10.89. He was known for his variations but in the 17th edition, the batters managed to deal with him pretty easily as Mohit proved to be very costly.
The team management would not be shy to release him ahead of the new season but they would be tempted to bring him back as well. When it comes to retentions, GT will be more interested in securing the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami over Mohit. Needless, the pacer is expected to be a part of IPL 2025 and will not go unsold in the mega auction.
2. Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Gujarat Titans are likely to part ways with Kane Williamson. He was brought in ahead of IPL 2023 as Nehra confirmed that they were looking for some stability at number 3 and he believed that Williamson would provide that. However, in the opening game of the season, the New Zealand international hurt his knees and was ruled out of the tournament.
In 2024, Williamson played just two matches and scored 27 runs. GT failed to give him the right role as Sai Sudharsan was their first-choice batter at number three. On top of that, they failed to reserve Williamson’s spot as they could not drop any of the four foreigners – Rashid, Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller and Noor Ahmed.
Williamson is very unlikely to be in GT’s plans for the 2025 season. The New Zealand international may even find it difficult to attract any franchise. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Williamson played four games and scored just 28 runs, which is extremely concerning.
1. Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Gujarat might not want to release Rahul Tewatia but their first three Indian choices are likely to be Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Mohammed Shami. Hence, they would be forced to let go of Tewatia ahead of the mega-auction but it will not be surprising if the team management decides to bring him back, using the Right to Match (RTM) card.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials have not finalized their stance on the retention and RTM rule. However, as per reports, each franchise is likely to have two RTM cards. In that case, GT might use it to bring Tewatia back into the fold.
However, it will not be surprising if they don’t. Due to the Impact Player Rule, Tewatia was not required to ball at all in the 2024 season. With the bat, he made 188 runs in nine innings but if they find a better finisher in the auction, GT might even allow him to let him go.
