SWOT Analysis (IPL 2023) - Gujarat Titans

The auction for the Tata IPL 2023 was held on December 23, 2022, in Kochi. It was the annual case of franchises engaging in insane bidding wars to create the perfect team in order to win the much-coveted IPL trophy.

Gujarat Titans (GT) were perhaps one of the few teams that did not need to make a lot of purchases going into the auction. The Hardik Pandya-led side became only the second team to win an IPL trophy in their debut season, therefore not having many weak links in the team to fill.

The Gujarat Titans bought a total of 7 players to build a full-capacity squad of 25 players. The 7 players bought by GT were Kane Williamson (₹2 crores), Odean Smith (₹50 lakhs), K.S. Bharat (₹1.2 crores), Shivam Mavi (₹6 crores), Urvil Patel (₹20 lakhs), Joshua Little (₹4.4 crores), and Mohit Sharma (₹50 lakhs).

Now that we have all the information regarding GT's purchases in the auction, let us begin our SWOT analysis of the defending champions.

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Strengths

The 2022 IPL Champions are a team with seemingly no weak links. Under the leadership of the charismatic Hardik Pandya, the side has no dearth of quality in all three departments of the game.

Last year, the batting order did look slightly underwhelming on paper as compared to the other teams, with GT often requiring heroics from their finishers, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, and Rashid Khan, to help them cross the finish line. However, the purchases of quality batters like Kane Williamson and K.S. Bharat will add a lot more solidity to the batting line-up.

A bowling attack already comprising the likes of Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal and Rashid Khan was bolstered further by the purchases of Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little and Shivam Mavi. Overall, Gujarat Titans look like a perfectly-balanced side who look set to embark on a journey to defend their maiden IPL crown.

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Weaknesses

GT are a team with no overwhelming weaknesses. Their batting line-up did seem slightly fragile on occasions last year, but the addition of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson gives it a much better look on paper.

While Kane Williamson is one of the best batters in the world, his below-par performances in the recent past in T20 cricket have made him fall down the pecking order. His low strike-rate in recent months has also made him face the brunt of criticism.

The 2018 Orange Cap winner is no doubt a champion player, but recent trends speak otherwise. His reduction in value from ₹14 crore last year to a mere ₹2 crore this year is a testimony to his woes with the bat in T20 cricket.

A large part of GT's IPL title defence will revolve around the Kiwi maestro and his ability to find his true self with the bat. Their lack of an experienced spinner other than Rashid Khan might also prove problematic on India's turning pitches.

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Opportunities

As mentioned earlier, this IPL will offer the opportunity for Kane Williamson to redeem himself in the shortest format of the game. Additionally, this season will present yet another chance for youngsters like Yash Dayal and Sai Kishore to prove their worth at the highest level.

Joshua Little became the first Irish cricketer to secure a deal in the IPL after he was picked by Gujarat. The youngster will be keen to make his mark in the biggest T20 league in the world.

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Threats

Only two teams, namely the Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020), have been able to defend their titles successfully in the past. Additionally, the Gujarat Titans relied too much on their lower middle order to help them close games last season, which is a dangerous proposition.

Moreover, unlike last season, the IPL will be played in multiple cities apart from just Mumbai and Pune. How the relatively new franchise responds and adapts to spin-friendly wickets in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata with just one experienced spinner (Rashid Khan) in their line-up will be another key factor in their success.

With that, we conclude our SWOT analysis of the Gujarat Titans after their Tata IPL 2023 auction. Are you happy with the purchases made by the defending champions? Let us know in the comments section below.