“If he fires, their middle-order will function very well” - Aaron Finch on Gujarat Titans’ X-factor in IPL 2023

Former Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch reckons that defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Gujarat Titans (GT) are heavily reliant on Shubman Gill when it comes to top-order batting. According to Finch, if Gill fires then Gujarat’s explosive middle order will be a lot more effective.

Gill was the fifth-leading run-getter in IPL 2022. The 23-year-old opener smashed 483 runs in 16 matches at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 132.32, with four half-centuries. The youngster will go into IPL 2023 with plenty of confidence, having been in supreme form in international cricket across formats.

Previewing Gujarat Titans’ chances in IPL 2023, Finch told Star Sports that Gill could be key to the franchise’s fortunes. He stated:

"I think a concern area for Gujarat Titans will be their top-order if Shubman Gill does not fire. Shubman Gill is the X-factor for the team. We know how freely he can score, he is such a damaging player and when he gets in, he goes really big. If he fires, their middle-order will function very well and they will be very hard to beat.

"They have got a lot of firepower and a lot of experience in that middle-order and a huge amount of power, but if they get in too early, they will be in trouble.”

GT skipper Hardik Pandya was the team’s leading run-getter in IPL 2022. He scored 487 runs in 15 games, averaging 44.27 at a strike rate of 131.26, with four half-centuries.

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“The player to watch out this year for Gujarat Titans will be David Miller” - Aaron Finch

Finch picked South African batting star David Miller as the player to watch out for from Gujarat in IPL 2023. The dynamic left-handed batter has been in impressive form over the last year.

Miller was also one of the standout performers in GT’s IPL 2022 triumph, with 481 runs in 16 matches at an average of 68.71. Speaking about the Proteas cricketer, Finch said:

"The player to watch out this year for Gujarat Titans will be David Miller.”

The 36-year-old described Gujarat's pace bowling as their biggest strength. He elaborated:

"The biggest strength for Gujarat Titans is the depth in their fast bowling, and their experience. They can juggle around the players to find the perfect combination based on different surfaces.”

Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2023 campaign by taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the season opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31.