GT or MI - which team has the better IPL 2024 squad?

Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) went into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction in Dubai with purses of ₹38.15 crore and ₹17.75 crore, respectively. There was action between the two teams before the auction as all-rounder Hardik Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians.

At the IPL 2024 auction, Gujarat purchased eight players - six Indians and two overseas cricketers. Australian left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson was their most expensive buy at ₹10 crore.

GT also purchased, big-hitting batter Shahrukh Khan for ₹7.4 crore, pacer Umesh Yadav for ₹5.8 crore, and keeper-batter Robin Minz for ₹3.6 crore. Azmatullah Omarzai (₹50 lakh) was their other overseas buy.

Shifting focus to Mumbai Indians, they picked up eight players - four Indians and four overseas. South African pacer Gerald Coetzee was their most expensive buy at ₹5 crore. MI purchased the Sri Lankan fast bowling duo of Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka for ₹4.8 crore and ₹4.6 crore, respectively.

MI also bought veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi for ₹1.5 crore.

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MI’s batting vs GT’s bowling

If we have to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the two sides, it’s more or less the same as IPL 2023. One of the reasons of course is because the core of both teams is pretty much the same.

Pandya, of course, has moved from GT to MI, but that massive development could get neutralized if the all-rounder is ruled out of IPL 2024 due to his ankle injury.

Looking at the two squads post the IPL 2024 auction, Mumbai Indians remain extremely strong in the batting department, while Gujarat Titans still possess arguably the best bowling attack heading into the latest edition of the T20 league.

Even though Rohit Sharma has not been at his best in the IPL over the last couple of seasons, MI have enough might in their batting line-up. Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Tim David have all won matches for Mumbai Indians with the willow. They will be expected to deliver again. Nehal Wadhera also made a good impact in the opportunities he received last season.

If we look at MI’s bowling, though, it is still one that can have their off days. Jasprit Bumrah is of course omnipresent. Akash Madhwal had a good season in 2023, but whether he can replicate his performance remains to be seen. Seasoned leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was an unexpected success story during the 2023 edition.

Mumbai have added to their pace resources with the trio of Coetzee, Madhushanka, and Thushara. Their spin department looks thin. Kumar Kartikeya is still finding his feet in the IPL, Shreyas Gopal is not the bowler he used to be some seasons ago, while Nabi is a smart operator, but does more of a holding role.

One feels MI could have pushed harder for a quality slow bowler. Then again, the Pandya trade meant they had a limited purse available for the auction in comparison to some of the other franchises.

Turning our attention to the Gujarat Titans, they have retained the bowling attack that sizzled so brilliantly in IPL 2023. But for a couple of moments of brilliance from Ravindra Jadeja in the final, GT might as well have lifted the title for the second year in a row. The outstanding performance of their bowlers would have been the biggest reason behind it.

The top three wicket-takers in IPL 2023 were all from Gujarat Titans. That says something about how incredible their bowlers were. Mohammed Shami was the leading wicket-taker with 28 scalps, while Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan picked up 27 wickets each. Young left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad was also impressive, claiming 16 wickets in 13 matches.

Gujarat’s batting, though, is not as strong as their bowling. The exit of Pandya has only weakened the department and one doesn’t feel like GT were able to fill in the huge hole at the auction. They will depend heavily on skipper Shubman Gill and David Miller to deliver.

At the same time, it will be important for the likes of Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar and Rahul Tewatia to make significant contributions as well. It also remains to be seen when Shahrukh Khan can finally deliver to potential in the IPL.

Coming back to the main question of which squad looks better, it’s a slightly tough one to conclude. But if we dig deep, it can be said that Mumbai Indians have a slightly stronger team because they managed to bulk up their pace resources. In contrast, Gujarat Titans might find it tough to overcome the loss of Pandya as captain and batter.