The former opening batter of the Indian team, Aakash Chopra, feels that the 2022 champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gujarat Titans (GT), can look to target the past premier pacer of the national side in T20Is, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in the upcoming mega auction of the event. He also noted that the franchise could extend their purse to INR 8 crore to sign the individual.
Titans have already given away INR 51 crore to retain their five players, with the first on the list being the leg-spinner from Afghanistan, Rashid Khan, for INR 18 crore. The captain of the side, Shubman Gill, earns INR 16.50 crore, while his opening partner from the last season has collected INR 8.50 crore. The two uncapped players of the side, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, have grabbed INR 4 crores each, with INR 69 crore remaining in the purse.
Aakash Chopra, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, has advised that the franchise might look to use the one RTM card among Mohammad Shami, Noor Ahmed, and David Miller. The inclusion of Bhuvi will strengthen their pace bowling attack.
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“They might save the Right To Match card for Shami but it can be used on Noor Ahmad or David Miller as well. I feel they will go after Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I see Bhuvneshwar Kumar going to this team. They might go till ₹5 crore to ₹7 crore, and I won’t be surprised even if they spend ₹8 crore.” The Uttar Pradesh-born has expressed.
Aakash Chopra highlights the need for a cautious wicket-keeper for GT
Kumar has earned so much success in the league, having collected 181 wickets in 176 innings at an average of 27.23 with a strike rate of 21.6 and an economy rate of 7.56 thanks to the best bowling figure of 5/19. In the previous season, he picked up only 11 scalps for Sunrisers Hyderabad for an economy of over nine.
Aakash Chopra believes that Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be a very handy bowler at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the home ground for the Titans, where the bowlers tend to get early seam and swing movement.
“On this pitch, where Mohammed Shami under lights has been outstanding, and they missed him, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the same skills. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is 34 years old and has three quality years left. So I think he could be the guy. They have even played Umesh Yadav. They will try to bring Noor Ahmad with them.” The renowned commentator observed.
For the first two seasons of the Titans, Shami was a huge weapon for them in the pace bowling department, but his absence in the last season due to the successful knee surgery caused them in the powerplay.
Having Rashid on the side means the management will be looking for a quality wicketkeeper as Wriddhiman Saha contributed so much. The veteran added that the likes of Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, or Jos Buttler could be hired to partner Gill at the top order.
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“They need a wicketkeeper-batter who can play slightly cautiously because the pitches here (in Ahmedabad) help the ball to move a little. Under lights, it is a very different surface. However, since Shubman Gill bats with a different template, it could be in their mind if they could get Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, or Jos Buttler at the other end.” Aakash Chopra shed light in the video.
“Will they go towards Ishan Kishan? Maybe not actually. Ishan might not be that high on their radar. They could go towards KL Rahul. They will try to go towards Rishabh Pant for some time, although, they don’t have enough money to get him.” He concluded, besides praising Gill for staying in the Titans for just INR 16.50 crore.