With the retention deadline for the IPL 2024 auction set for Sunday, November 26, the excitement around the league has reached new heights.
Hardik Pandya, the skipper of the Gujarat Titans (GT), is said to be returning to the Mumbai Indians (MI). MI is anticipated to pay GT a transfer fee in addition to a salary of 15 crore in an all-cash agreement.
Hardik Pandya , who began his career with MI, was selected as the Titans’ captain ahead of their inaugural season in the IPL in 2022. He guided them to victory at the first attempt before almost defending their crown in May of this year. The Titans were defeated by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a last-ball drama in Ahmedabad.
Although the official announcement of the deal is pending, GT faces a significant question: who will become their captain for IPL 2024 if Hardik Pandya leaves? Fortunately, they have several options to choose from.
Three candidates will be assessed to determine their suitability for the job. The reasoning behind their potential selection will be discussed.
1. Shubman Gill
In the scenario where Hardik Pandya leaves, GT’s most logical option as skipper would be Shubman Gill. He is an Indian player who has proven his worth and has the potential to become the embodiment of Indian cricket. Appointing him would bring numerous benefits to the team.
Despite becoming India’s vice-captain at the U19 World Cup in 2018, Gill does not have much captaincy experience to rely back on. However, the idea of the opener adopting leadership responsibilities at the international level cannot be ruled out in the future.
His greatest years are yet ahead of him at the age of 24. Hardik Pandya was signed by GT with a local connection in Gujarat in mind, although Gill was not. But he’s already a fan favorite, as seen by the applause he received when Rohit Sharma confirmed his inclusion in the India-Pakistan World Cup match in Ahmedabad.
With a strong roster at his disposal, there couldn’t be a better moment to ease Gill into the position.
2. Rashid Khan
If the Titans’ current leadership structure is upheld, Rashid Khan should be the successor to the captaincy crown come IPL 2024.
He has been the team’s vice-captain since its formation in 2022, and he has filled in as captain for a handful of games when Hardik Pandya has been injured. Rashid has previous leadership experience, having served for Afghanistan and MI Cape Town in the SA20. The latter didn’t go so well, with a squad of celebrities coming in last place.
Due to the limited number of available spots, it is not advisable to give a foreign player the captaincy. But we’re talking about Rashid here. Leaving him out of the XI seems absurd, considering his worth as an all-rounder and his status as possibly the most valued T20 cricketer on the globe.
It remains to be seen whether GT will choose to have him succeed Hardik Pandya. But he should be a frontrunner for the job.
3. Kane Williamson
This may be described as a “left-field” option. However, GT has sprung a few surprises in the previous two seasons, particularly during the player auction. One of them was the signing of Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s white-ball captain, for his basic fee. However, everything did not go as planned, as he was ruled out with an injury following the first game of the 2023 season.
Is there a better T20 hitter on the market than Williamson come the IPL 2024 auction? With all due respect to the stalwart that he is, it’s fair to state that there are. However, his earlier leadership experience with the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be considered by the GT think-tank when deciding who Hardik Pandya’s replacement should be.
Because they have so many Indian bowling options, there is still room for an international hitter in their playing XI. After all, Hardik Pandya served as a solid anchor in this side, holding the batting lineup together.
Williamson, who lacks the power game of the Indian all-rounder, might be considered to do the same. And perhaps this puts him in the running for captaincy as well.
