[WATCH] Kane Williamson joins the Gujarat Titans camp ahead of IPL 2023

Ace New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has joined the Gujarat Titans (GT) camp for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The franchise surprised everyone a year ago when they romped to the IPL title in their debut season.

Pitted as one of the least fancied sides pre-tournament, the Titans finished atop the points table and cruised through the playoffs to be crowned champions.

Despite IPL glory, GT recognized some chinks in their armor, mainly top-order batting, and tried to rectify them at the mini-auction in December 2022. They often relied heavily on Shubman Gill at the top and the explosive middle order of Hardik Pandya and David Miller for the bulk of their runs last season.

GT added solidity and consistency to the top order by acquiring the services of Williamson at the auction for his base price of ₹2 crore. The 32-year-old, who spent the last eight years at the Sunrisers Hyderabad, was released after the 2022 season.

Gujarat Titans took to Instagram to update fans on Williamson's arrival.

After a series of excellent years in the IPL from 2017 to 2021, Williamson endured a difficult season by averaging 19.64 at a strike rate of less than 100 in 2022. He captained the side that finished eighth in the points table.

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Gujarat Titans will look to join CSK and MI in an elite company

Gujarat Titans exceeded all expectations in 2022 by winning the IPL title.

While winning a first title is a task in itself, it is often harder to repeat next year as winners, and GT will be looking to become just the third IPL franchise to do that in 2023.

Only Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) have successfully defended their titles in the past. CSK did it in 2010 and 2011, while MI broke their odd-year winning streak by winning in 2019 and 2020.

The Titans made some shrewd moves at the mini-auction last year in an attempt to become IPL champions in consecutive seasons by acquiring star batter Kane Williamson, pacer Shivam Mavi, wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat, and young sensation Joshua Little from Ireland, to name a few.

The side, led by Hardik Pandya, will take on the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of the IPL on March 31.

Tickets for the game have already been sold out as fans get set to watch the action unfold at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.