Former England opener Vikram Solanki has been appointed as Gujarat Titans' Director of Cricket. Ex-India pacer Ashish Nehra is the head coach.
The Ahmedabad franchise owned by CVC Capitals will be known as Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it was announced on Wednesday. Gujarat Titans will make their debut in the IPL 2022 alongside RPSG group-owned Lucknow Super Giants. The team logo will be revealed soon.
Gujarat Titans will have the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as its home ground. The franchise will be led by India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Alongside Hardik, the franchise also has Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and young batting talent, Shubman Gill, as squad members. All three were draft picks.
Former England opener Vikram Solanki has been appointed as the Director of Cricket with former India pacer Ashish Nehra as the head coach. South African Gary Kirsten, who was India’s head coach during their 2011 World Cup-winning campaign, will be Titan’s mentor and batting coach.
The CVC Capitals shelled out Rs 5625 crores for Gujarat Titans during the bidding process while Lucknow Super Giants were bought at a whopping Rs 7090 crores. They will join the existing eight teams in the IPL 2022 Mega Player Auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
“Debuting in the 15th season of the IPL, the Gujarat Titans will pay tribute to the state’s rich cricketing legacy, which has seen it produce countless Indian international cricket legends over the years,” the franchise said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The franchise is inspired by the opportunity to represent and build on this deep cricketing heritage, as well as build on its future success on the pitch.”
Siddharth Patel, a representative of the franchise, said, “We want this group to achieve great things for Gujarat and its many passionate fans, which is why we have chosen the name ‘Titans’.”
“As we approach the league’s mega auction, we are confident that we will be able to put together the right combination of players going into the new season,” Patel said. “We want individuals that are not only highly skilled but who are inspired to be Titans of the game.”
This is not the first time Gujarat has been a part of IPL. Earlier, Gujarat Lions, led by former India batsman Suresh Raina played in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the tournament. Meanwhile, according to sources close to Gujarat Titans, the think-tank are yet to touch down in Ahmedabad but have kept themselves busy with virtual meetings ahead of the mega auction.
Asked if Hardik is going to be present in Bengaluru during the auction, the source said, "It is still unclear at the moment. We will soon have some clarity."
“Super excited to start this new journey for Ahmedabad”, Hardik was quoted as saying in a video tweet posted by Star Sports last month. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the management and the owners for putting their faith in me as the captain of this team,” he added.
“It’s a new era for us and I am excited for what lies ahead. What I can promise is this team will always fight and give their all. A big welcome to Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill, two players whom I know extremely well and will bring a lot to our table,” added Hardik.