A day after the Gujarat Titans traded Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians, Shubman Gill was named captain. Gill will take on the role of captain for the first time in the IPL during the 2024 season after Hardik led the Titans in 2022 and 2023.
“I am delighted and proud to assume the captaincy of Gujarat Titans and thank the franchise for their trust in me to lead such a fine team,” Gill stated in a statement. “We have had two exceptional seasons and I keenly look forward to leading the team with our exciting brand of cricket.”
The 24-year-old Gill was freed prior to the 2022 auction after beginning his IPL career with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018. The Titans, a new IPL franchise, were permitted to sign up to three players prior to the 2022 auction. They did so by paying INR 7 crore to Gill and INR 15 crore to each of Hardik and Rashid Khan.
In 16 IPL 2022 games, Gill amassed 483 runs in total, leading the Titans to victory in their first season of play with an undefeated 45 against the Rajasthan Royals. With 890 runs in 17 innings, including three hundreds, he was their highest scorer in the 2023 Indian Premier League, where the Titans were runner-up to the Chennai Super Kings.
Behind KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and Faf du Plessis as the top run scorers in the IPL over the past six years, Gill is currently ranked fifth. He will be the leader of a formidable Titans lineup that includes a number of seasoned players in Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, David Miller, Kane Williamson, and Wriddhiman Saha. In the past, he has captained Indian domestic teams in the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, giving him some experience as a captain.
“Over the last two years, Shubman Gill has shown growth in stature and standing at the highest level of the game,” stated Titans director of cricket Vikram Solanki. He has shown growth as a leader in cricket as well as a batter. Through his on-field contributions, the Gujarat Titans have become a formidable force, leading the team to a successful 2022 campaign and a successful 2023 campaign.
“His maturity and skill is evident in his on-field performance and we are extremely excited to embark on a new journey with a young leader like Shubman at the helm.”
