Gujarat Titans are all set to participate in their second mega auction in the Indian Premier League. Last time, they struck gold by finding the right team combination that helped them win the IPL title in their first season in the competition and reach the final of the 2023 edition. , however, did not go as planned as they lost Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians before the season and Shubman Gill’s captaincy could not take them to the playoffs.

Former champions have retained a good core this saw Rashid Khan become first choice, with Gill being the second man to be chosen. There haven’t been many surprises when it comes to GT retentions, but some big names have been released.

GT retentions for IPL 2025

Rashid Khan (18), Shubman Gill (16.5), Sai Sudharsan (8.5), Rahul Tewatia (4), Shahrukh Khan (4).

Rashid and Gill were the 2 big choices for GT and decided to invest 8.5 crores on Sai Sudharsan. They retained Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan as uncapped players for 4 crores each, which helped them retain a good sum ahead of the auction.

Players released by GT

BR Sharath, Abhinav Manohar, Sandeep Warrier, Gurnoor Brar, Darshan Nalkande, David Miller, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Kane Williamson, Matthew Wade, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad*, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson

POSSIBLE GT COMBINATION

GT has always had a good Indian core as a base and has never had many big names in its mix. But after last season, they could target a few stars to change things up a bit.

1. Shubman Gil
2. Indian keeper-keeper / Foreign keeper-keeper
3. Sai Sudharsan
4. Versatile abroad
5. Overseas paste
6. Shahrukh Khan
7. Rahul Tewatia
8. Rachid Khan
9. Indian spinner
10. Coach abroad
11. Indian stimulator

A suitable opening partner for Gill who can keep wickets

Over the last 3 seasons, Gill has found himself the perfect opening partner in Wriddhiman Saha. However, the Bengal wicketkeeper is in the home stretch of his career and Gujarat will be looking for someone of the same mould.

The best person for this position seems to be Ishan Kishan, who also shares great camaraderie with Gill. In the IPL 2022 auction, GT was making a big bid for Kishan before his return to MI. He has the right profile to complement Gill at the top.

If Kishan is out of their reach, they could turn their attention to a wicketkeeper like Phil Salt or Rahmanullah Gurbaz in their line-up.

Read also: Will CSK target Rishabh Pant with Rs 55 crore purse?

Maxwell at No. 4?

While it may seem like a surprising option, Maxwell could fit the bill in GT. He will benefit from the freedom and support of the GT team management, which has allowed the players to express themselves over the past few seasons.

If Maxwell can find some consistency, then expect him to be a game changer for GT in the coming seasons and his off-spin would also help. If they want a versatile player at this spot, they can also push for Marcus Stoinis, who is more than handy with his medium pace.

RTM for Shami or Miller?

GT’s biggest failure last season was the presence of Mohammed Shami. The Indian pacer picked up 28 wickets in 17 matches and led the bowling attack brilliantly for the Titans. With GT still having an RTM in their kitty, we can expect them to use it on Shami, who is slowly making his return to the field. If they manage to get it, Shami will take over as India’s point guard for the former champions and will be the leader of the pack.

If they miss out on Shami, a move for youngster Umran Malik cannot be ruled out and they could also bring back veteran Mohit Sharma on the cheap.

Much like Shami, David Miller has been a revelation since becoming part of GT and he will be one of the key names they would look to bring back for the middle order. Miller’s poor form last season affected the Titans, but they will be hoping for a return from the Proteas star.

If they miss Miller, expect a move for Harry Brook, who missed last season and he could be used in the middle order.

A gesture for Starc?

Last time out, GT went head-to-head with KKR for the signing of Mitchell Starc and ultimately gave up and settled for Spencer Johnson instead. That experiment didn’t work out well and we can expect Gujarat to renew their interest in the Australian pacer this time around.

Starc came into his own in the playoffs last season for KKR and showed his class in the IPL. So he could be the one at the top of the agenda this time around and we can expect moves for Trent Boult or Kagiso Rabada if they fail to achieve their main objective.

For the Indian spot, it looks like GT will look to bring Sai Kishore back into the mix.

GT IPL AUCTIONS: TOP 5 PLANNED TARGETS

Ishan Kishan

Glenn Maxwell

David Miller

Mohammed Shami

Mitchell Starc

GT: FIRST XI SCHEDULED AFTER MEGA IPL AUCTION

Ishan Kishan (week), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Maxwell/Marcus, David Miller/Harry Brook, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Shami/Umran Malik, Mitchell Starc/Trent Boult.