In a significant development for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024, a new captain has been appointed following the trade of Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians on November 26th. With Pandya’s departure, the captaincy position for GT was left vacant, but today the franchise announced that Shubman Gill would be taking on the leadership role. This marks Gill’s maiden captaincy stint in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, adding a new chapter to his cricketing journey.
Having commenced his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians in 2015, Pandya has now returned to his original franchise through a trade, making history as the third captain in IPL history to be involved in such a transaction. While Pandya was initially retained by GT before the auction, the announcement of his trade came moments after the release of the list of retained and released players.
Expressing his delight and pride, new captain Gill stated in a released statement,
“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’s cricket journey started with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2018, but he was released ahead of the 2022 season. Gujarat Titans then acquired him for INR 7 crore, a move that paid off handsomely in the subsequent seasons. In IPL 2022, Gill played a pivotal role in Titans’ title victory, scoring 483 runs in 16 matches.
He continued his stellar performance in 2023, emerging as the highest run-scorer with 890 runs in 17 innings as GT reached the final but ended as runners-up to Chennai Super Kings. Notably, Gill brings a touch of captaincy experience from leading Indian domestic sides to his new role at the helm of the Gujarat Titans.
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