Shubman Gill has been appointed as the captain of the Gujarat Titans on Monday, succeeding Hardik Pandya, who was traded to the Mumbai Indians. This marks Gill's inaugural leadership role in senior cricket as the franchise gears up for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Expressing his enthusiasm, Gill said, "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. We have had two exceptional seasons, and I keenly look forward to leading the team with our exciting brand of cricket."
Vikram Solanki, the Titans' director of cricket, commended Gill's growth, both as a batter and a leader, over the past two years at the highest level of the game. Acknowledging Gill's instrumental role in the team's success in 2022 and a strong campaign in 2023, Solanki expressed excitement about the prospect of a new journey with the young and promising leader at the helm.
“Shubman Gill has shown growth in stature and standing over the last two years at the highest level of the game. We’ve seen him mature not only as a batter but also as a leader in cricket. His contribution on the field has helped Gujarat Titans emerge as a formidable force, guiding the team through a successful campaign in 2022 and a strong run in 2023. His maturity and skill is evident in his on-field performance and we are extremely excited to embark on a new journey with a young leader like Shubman at the helm,” Vikram Solanki said.
Gill emerged as the top run-scorer in the previous IPL, amassing 890 runs at an impressive average of 59.33 from 17 matches. Given his prolific performance in 2023, he became the natural and standout choice for the captaincy role. While Kane Williamson's name was also in consideration, the franchise ultimately decided that there was no one better than Gill to represent them, considering his status as the emerging face of Indian cricket and a captain in the making.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans' Hardik Pandya moved back to his first franchise, Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises. The all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign with aplomb.
Here is the full list of players released by GT ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction –
- Yash Dayal
- KS Bharat
- Shivam Mavi
- Urvil Patel
- Pradeep Sangwan
- Odean Smith
- Alzarri Joseph
- Dasun Shanaka
List of players retained by GT ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction –
- David Miller
- Shubman Gill
- Matthew Wade
- Wriddhiman Saha
- Kane Williamson
- Hardik Pandya (capt)
- Abhinav Manohar
- B Sai Sudharsan
- Darshan Nalkande
- Vijay Shankar
- Jayant Yadav
- Rahul Tewatia
- Mohammed Shami
- Noor Ahmad
- R Sai Kishore
- Rashid Khan
- Josh Little
- Mohit Sharma
