IPL 2024: Shubman Gill named as Gujarat Titans captain after Hardik Pandya’s move to Mumbai Indians | Cricket News
Gujarat Titans confirmed that Shubman Gill will be the new captain after Hardik Pandya’s sensational return to Mumbai Indians was confirmed on Monday the franchises.
“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,” Gill said in a statement issued the franchise.
Hardik moves back to his first franchise, Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises. The all-rounder spent two impressive years with GT. In thew new franchise’s debut season in 2022, Hardik led the team to lift the trophy, while they finished runners-up in their second season after a last-ball defeat in a thrilling final earlier this year. In a separate trade, MI all-rounder Cameron Green has been traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore for his price of Rs 17.5 crore at the auction last December.
🫡#AavaDe pic.twitter.com/tCizo2Wt2b
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) November 27, 2023
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Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket for GT said that Hardik expressed a desire to return to MI and the franchise respected his decision.
“As the first captain of Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya has helped the franchise deliver two fantastic seasons that resulted in winning one TATA IPL championship and one appearance in the final. He has now expressed a desire to return to his original team Mumbai Indians. We respect his decision and wish him all the very best in his future endeavours,” Solanki said in a statement.
Regarding Gill’s promotion, Solanki said that the star India batter’s growth in stature over the last two years paved the way for the decision. “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,” Solanki added.
Gill had a sensational season with the bat during IPL 2023, scoring 890 runs with three centuries.
