3 GT players who simply have to step up in the IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 against MI

The Gujarat Titans (GT) are up against it in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), with the defending champions all set to take on the red-hot Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 on Friday, May 26 in Ahmedabad.

A few players have been sensational for Hardik Pandya and Co. this year, and they will need to continue to perform in this crunch game. While Shubman Gill is close to topping the Orange Cap charts with over 700 runs to his name, Mohammad Shami and Rashid Khan have scalped a combined 51 wickets.

At the same time, however, certain big names haven't been at their best in IPL 2023. The franchise has already garnered a reputation for getting its players to fulfill their potential and are bound to back them through thick and thin, but time's running out for a select few to deliver.

Here are three GT players who simply have to step up for the side in their IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 clash against MI.

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#3 David Miller

David Miller [left] hasn't been able to match the prolific season he had in 2022

David Miller was one of GT's most important players in their run to the IPL 2022 title. The South African hammered 481 runs in 16 matches at an average of 68.71 and a strike rate of 142.73, hitting 32 fours and 23 sixes in his most prolific campaign to date.

However, the 2023 edition of the tournament hasn't been too kind to Miller. He currently ranks 40th on the Orange Cap list, with only 259 runs at an average of 32.38 and a strike rate of 145.5. The southpaw has recorded single-digit scores in his last three matches in the competition.

Miller is a match-winner lower down the order, and GT will need him to replicate what he did for them last season. He's too good a player to fail for too long and could be due for a big one.

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#2 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha [right] has recorded only one fifty-plus score this season

Only two GT batters have crossed the 300-run mark in IPL 2023. Gill is obviously the first, with Vijay Shankar having managed 301 runs to just meet the cutoff. Closely behind him is Wriddhiman Saha, who hasn't had a great season for the Ahmedabad-based outfit.

Saha has tallied 299 runs in 15 matches at an average of 21.36 and a strike rate of 128.87. He has hit 38 fours and has cleared the boundary only seven times, with just one half-century to his name. Although the veteran keeper-batter has been as tidy as ever behind the stumps, his performances in front of the wicket have left a lot to be desired.

Saha managed only a combined six runs in his two innings against MI during the league phase and hasn't crossed the 15-run mark in any of his last four knocks. The 38-year-old is under serious pressure to deliver in Qualifier 2.

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#1 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya hasn't even hit the 300-run mark for the Titans in IPL 2023

Another player who has almost notched up 300 runs in IPL 2023, Hardik Pandya has been far from his best. The GT skipper, who has often spoken about leading from the front, hasn't been able to live up to his words this year.

Hardik has recorded 297 runs in 14 matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 130.26. Although he has two fifties to his name, those knocks weren't scored at a great clip. The all-rounder also has only three wickets to his name at an economy rate of 8.63 and hasn't bowled in the last four matches.

While there has been no official word on Hardik's bowling fitness, there's no doubt that GT need their skipper to contribute in both departments against MI. They've been without a sixth bowler in the recent past and would also want a reliable middle-order hitter.