IPL 2024: Shubman Gill appointed captain of Gujarat Titans
In a major development, Indian batter Shubman Gill has been appointed the captain of Gujarat Titans for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) edition. The 2022 IPL champions announced the same after the official trade of previous skipper Hardik Pandya to his former franchise, Mumbai Indians. Gill has been in sublime form in limited-overs cricket and is a vital part of GT's top order.
Why does this story matter?
As mentioned, Gill has been given the reins after Pandya got officially traded to his former team MI. Earlier this week, it was reported that Pandya is set to return to MI. However, the Titans named him in their official list of retained players on November 26. A day later, the IPL website confirmed that Pandya has returned to his former franchise.
Proud to assume GT captaincy
"I am delighted and proud to assume the captaincy of Gujarat Titans and thank the franchise for their trust in me to lead such a fine team," an elated Gill said on his appointment. He added, "We have had two exceptional seasons and I keenly look forward to leading the team with our exciting brand of cricket."
GT won IPL 2022 under Pandya
Pandya is one of the most celebrated all-rounders going around. His stocks have skyrocketed since joining GT in 2022. The all-rounder aced the leadership role as the Titans clinched the title in their inaugural season (2022) before finishing second to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2023. Owing to the same, Pandya's switch to his former franchise, MI, was deemed a shocker.
A look at Gill's IPL journey
Gill started his IPL journey with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2018. Between 2018 and 2021, he smashed 1,417 runs from 58 IPL games at 31.48 for KKR. GT signed Gill for Rs. 7 crore ahead of the 2022 season. In GT's title-winning season, he scored 483 runs in 16 matches. Gill finished with the most runs in IPL 2023 (890 runs, three centuries).
Gill's captaincy stint
Gill will lead a major side for the first time outside of India's traditional domestic circuit. According to ESPNcricinfo, he has previously had captaincy stints in the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. Gill, 24, will now lead a sturdy GT contingent that already includes experienced campaigners like Kane Williamson, David Miller, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, and Wriddhiman Saha among others.
Second-most runs in an IPL season
During the 2023 IPL season, Gill broke a flurry of records. He became only the second Indian to slam over 800 IPL runs in an edition. Gill is only behind Virat Kohli on the overall list (973 runs in 2016).
Players to lead an IPL franchise aged 24 or less
As per Bharath Seervi, Gill would become the ninth player aged 24 or less to lead an IPL franchise. The others are Kohli, Steven Smith, Suresh Raina, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Rashid Khan, Dinesh Karthik, and Sam Curran.
