From Grand Trunk to Goods Train: GT's season that finished before it started

What makes a rags-to-riches underdog story capture our heart and soul and make our jaw drop, whether in the movies, sports, or any other wake of life? A meeting point would be the unparalleled relatability and hope it offers most of us discounted at various stages of life.

In cricket, some of the best and most memorable triumphs remain South Africa chasing 435 against Australia, India pulling off the improbable upset against the West Indies in the 1983 final, and Kenya reaching the 2003 World Cup semi-final, among others. The common theme - teams discounted digging deep and playing out of their skins to silence the doubters.

Coming to the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals (RR), led by the late great Shane Warne, pulled off a similar miracle in the inaugural edition. After them, the Gujarat Titans (GT) took the mantle for defying the odds two years in a row.

In their first season of existence in 2022, the franchise was pitted as arguably the worst side by several pundits and fans around the cricketing circles. Yet, Hardik Pandya and his men transcended to stratospherical heights to lift the trophy with a dominant run.

However, that did not stop the naysayers from pointing to RR's similar title run in 2008 that quickly looked like a fluke in the following few seasons of disappointment. So, GT took the next step in its mission of changing the narrative by again finishing on the top of the table in 2023 and being a last-ball heartbreak away from making it two in a row.

With a title and a runner-up finish, GT had done enough to convince people from ever doubting their abilities to punch above their on-paper appearance.

Yet, an off-season from hell meant even the never-say-die attitude instilled in the GT culture couldn't make it third-time lucky in IPL 2024, a campaign that ended before it began.

What could have gone wrong went wrong for GT in an ill-fated off-season

While Hardik Pandya may be the most roasted name of IPL 2024, he was the toast of the town among GT fans from 2022 to 2023.

The 30-year-old admirably led a first-time roster with his performances and charismatic but well-calculated leadership. However, his departure from the franchise to Mumbai Indians (MI) was the first nail in the off-season coffin.

How do you replace 733 runs and 11 wickets over two seasons, along with intangibles like versatility and calming influence? That was Hardik Pandya, a package you can't replace overnight.

If his loss wasn't bad enough, the team was further doomed by the loss of arguably the most in-form bowler in the world, Mohammed Shami, due to injury. The pacer was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2023 with 28 scalps in 17 games and was a vital cog in GT's ranks.

Talking about the side's sub-par season, former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody told ESPNCricinfo:

"The biggest miss is Mohammed Shami. He is the head of the arrow of that team, their bowling attack. The way he impacted the opposition with the new ball, got the good players out that were real threats. Hardik Pandya would call upon him when times were tough and he would deliver. He also delivered in the death. That's like the equivalent of a Bumrah for Gujarat, Mohammed Shami's impact."

Yet, it was left to first-time IPL captain Shubman Gill to overcome these monumental losses and still marshall the troops to glory. He was undeniably valiant throughout the season, much like his team, and nothing embodied those qualities more than his comments after GT pulled off a miraculous run-chase against RR.

With an improbable 42 needed off 18 deliveries, GT produced a grand finish to stun the then-table toppers. Following the game, Harsha Bhogle said during the post-match presentation:

"Well done you got 2 points today. But I must admit some of us thought you left it too late but well done today."

To which Gill sensationally responded:

"Thank you, when GT is playing don’t think like that, eh."

Unfortunately, that was one of their final hurrahs in a season where they eventually couldn't walk the walk like to match their talk. And finally, as persistent showers in Ahmedabad washed away their glimmer of hope against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last night, GT was officially eliminated from the playoffs.

But did their season ever start? Was there ever any realistic hope this time around to make it a hat trick of magnificent playoff appearances and finals?

Probably not, once Hardik and Shami were absent. Yet, they did not help themselves with the players they welcomed at the auction and how the pedigreed stars performed.

---

Renewed hope from the auction never materialized in action

The performances of almost every player GT acquired at the IPL 2024 auction paint a sorry picture. It is a case of picking your poison for whomever we start with - from Spencer Johnson to Azmatullah Omarzai.

While Shami hadn't been ruled out yet, the franchise was aware of the possibility, considering he was out of action since the 2023 ODI World Cup. And left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson's Big Bash League (BBL) heroics lured the franchise to purchase him for a whopping ₹10 crore, their most expensive buy.

However, he played only five games and picked up four wickets at a dismal average of almost 38 and an economy of over 9.43.

Their next two highest buys, Shahrukh Khan and Umesh Yadav, also flattered to deceive for much of the season. The former was acquired at ₹7.4 crore from a base price of ₹40 Lakh but scored only 127 runs at an average of 18.14 in seven outings. On the other hand, Umesh blew hot and cold, finishing with eight scalps at a woeful economy of 10 in seven games.

GT also endured some misfortune with talented 21-year-old wicket-keeper Robin Minz, who was ruled out just before the IPL due to a bike accident after being picked for ₹3.6 crore.

And while Omarzai at ₹50 lakh felt like a bargain after his exploits at the 2023 World Cup, the Afghanistan all-rounder folded under the expectations of becoming a like-to-like replacement for Hardik Pandya. He averaged a paltry 10.50 with the willow and picked up four wickets in seven lackluster games.

The other pickups either missed the tournament with injury (Sushant Mishra) or hardly featured (Karthik Tyagi and Manav Suthar).

GT's tumultuous 2024 season was further evidence that a team may not win an IPL title at the auction table but can certainly lose one. The dismal showings of all the auction buys meant GT had several areas of concern, including power-hitting in the middle and death bowling.

---

Role players win you matches, stars win you championships

Most sporting sides have several issues plaguing them throughout a tournament, irrespective of the results. However, what usually separates the top-ranked teams from the bottom-feeders are the performances of the star players, who often mitigate the flaws.

While the role players' starring can help pull off a few wins, frying bigger fish comes to fruition only when the three or four stars in a setup shine. Unfortunately, this was a massive area of concern, leading to GT often unraveling this season.

Starting from the top, Shubman Gill struggled for consistency for most of the IPL 2024 campaign after his historic 890-run season last year. The GT skipper has scored only 426 runs this season at an average of under 39 in 12 games.

A 104 of those came in GT's encounter against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last Friday when their season was already in shambles.

While recapping GT and Gill's season, former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo:

"He hasn't got the runs that he or the franchise would have wanted. But I don't think he made a lot of mistakes as a captain for a first-timer. The form of certain players affected Gujarat. They wanted Omarzai to do what Hardik Pandya did but they did not stick with him for long. They chopped and changed which happens when you keep losing games and you want to find the right balance."

The other big disappointment with the bat came in the form of power-hitter David Miller. In the absence of Hardik, GT needed the South African to replicate his heroics of the 2022 season, when he scored 481 runs. However, the southpaw tallied only 210 runs with a lone half-century in 9 matches.

It was an ever sorrier sight for GT with the ball, a season after they boasted the top 3 leading wicket-takers, Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Mohit Sharma.

Rashid has endured arguably his worst IPL campaign, picking up only 10 wickets in 12 outings after a 27-wicket season last year. Mohit, after a resurgent season in 2023 with 27 scalps, has had a season to forget. The right-arm pacer has picked up only 13 wickets at a dismal economy of almost 11 in 12 games.

GT's season, in a nutshell, felt like a series of nightmares from Hardik Pandya's departure, Mohammed Shami's injury, auction recruits misfiring to star players' mortality derailing fast-moving Grand Trunk Express into an unenviable Good Train.