IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya to Rashid Khan - 5 Gujarat Titans players to watch

Gujarat Titans is set to play its maiden season during the IPL 2022. Here, we look at the five players who will be vital to watch out for.

Image credit: BCCI

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is being graced by the presence of a new side in the form of Gujarat Titans (GT). As it prepares to feature in the tournament for the first time, it will draw quite some eyeballs across the country and worldwide. In the same light, we present five of the players from the team who are expected to play a crucial role for the side.

Shubman Gill
The Indian opener was a top draw for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the past four seasons, with whom he began his IPL career. As he transitions, he would be expected to fire with the bat. Although he has been slightly unstable in the past couple of seasons, besides being plagued by injury, the prominent competitive and international exposure should be enough for him to get going right from the start.

Hardik Pandya
The explosive Indian all-rounder made his name with record five-time winner Mumbai Indians (MI). While his unstable form of late forced MI to part ways with him, it turned out to be good for him, as he has happily joined his home franchise. Although he will be leading the side, his batting form will be something that fans would watch out for, while his status as a pacer remains doubtful, too, as he has refrained from regular bowling following his back surgery three years ago.

Rashid Khan
The Afghan spinner is one of the best in the world. While SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) letting him go was a surprise, it is another top-notch buy for GT. Known for his lethal leg-spins, it would be not very easy for the batters to counter him, while he can control 70-80% of the match for GT through his bowling.

Mohammed Shami
The Indian seamer is one of the top ones in Indian cricket. A regular in Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he has been somewhat inconsistent in the Twenty20s (T20s). He tends to leak ample runs before claiming wickets, which somewhat hurts his side. Nonetheless, being a top bowler, he would be backed to fire.

Lockie Ferguson
Due to some injury issues, the Australian medium-pacer has been irregular in the international circuit. However, his bowling skills are impeccable, evident during his previous stint with KKR. Also, he occasionally tends to bowl at a severe pace that shots up to 150 km/h-plus. Thus, he can confuse the batter and can turn out to be the greatest asset for GT this season.