IPL 2024 auction: GT go heavy on Johnson and Shahrukh
Gujarat Titans broke the bank for Spencer Johnson and Shahrukh Khan among other signings in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction on Tuesday. With Hardik Pandya moving out, GT made Shubman Gill their skipper. Retaining several key players earlier, GT made some smart buys and Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai was one of them. Here we decode the key takeaways from GT's IPL 2024 auction.
Why does this story matter?
Gujarat Titans have been brilliant in their planning since their first auction. Their immaculate planning on the auction table was reflected on the field as they won the IPL crown in their inaugural season in the competition. They followed it up by reaching the final in IPL 2023. Pandya played a key role and now Gill will want to showcase similar attributes as well.
A look at the major players retained by GT
GT retained their core team and named Gill as skipper. He was last season's top run-getter with 890 runs. Rashid Khan, who scalped 27 wickets in IPL 2023 was retained along with Noor Ahmad. IPL 2023's highest wicket-taker Mohammed Shami who returned with 28 wickets was retained as well. Key figures such as Kane Williamson, David Miller and Sai Sudharsan saw GT look sorted.
GT entered the auction with Rs. 38.15 crore
GT entered the auction with the biggest purse of Rs. 38.15 crore. List of retained players: Shubman Gill (Captain), David Miller, Matthew Wade (wicket-keeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, R. Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, and Mohit Sharma.
Signings in the IPL 2024 auction
Signings in the IPL 2024 auction: Azmatullah Omarzai (Rs. 50 lakh), Umesh Yadav (Rs. 5.8 crore), Manav Suthar (Rs. 20 lakh), Shahrukh Khan (Rs. 7.4 crore), Sushant Mishra (Rs. 2.2 crore), Kartik Tyagi (Rs. 60 lakh), Spencer Johnson (Rs. 10 crore), and Robin Minz (Rs. 3.6 crore).
A look at GT's squad for IPL 2024
GT's squad for IPL 2024: Shubman Gill (Captain), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Manav Suthar, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Spencer Johnson, and Robin Minz.
Here are the major takeaways
GT bolstered their domestic pace attack by roping in veteran Umesh and youngster Tyagi. People expected them to go hard for an overseas pacer and when they didn't get Mitchell Starc, they settled for Australia's Johnson. They gambled on Shahrukh, who derived costlier bids in earlier auctions as well. Robin seems to be a wild pick, having impressed at the nets.
