After the auction last season, Gujarat Titans looked like they were nowhere near the title-winning team they are today. For a long part of the 2022 Mega Auction, the Titans did not have a wicketkeeper. By the end of last season’s auction though they snuck in Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade. Their batting though looked very thin. They had the likes of Gill and Hardik Pandya, but around them, the batting line-up did not give much confidence. David Miller, for all his abilities, was out of form coming into the tournament and was benched for most of 2020 and 2021.

The bowling attack though was where they had their strengths. With Mohammad Shami and Rashid Khan, the bowling attack looked really strong. As the season went on, Hardik Pandya’s captaincy and the backroom staff made things happen with ease. They backed their players to the core, and players like David Miller were back to their best very quickly. The batting all of a sudden looked unbeatable, and the bowling attack went to new heights.

Coming into this season, the same was expected with the Gujarat Titans maintaining their core. They bossed the group stage and built a batting line-up that could intimidate any side in the league. With each player knowing their roles well the job has been all the easier as fringe players, and players who may not have been expected to do the job have gone on to have their best seasons.

Shubman Gill, with his form and with a strong unit behind him has gone through his best season ever. Wriddhiman Saha on the other hand has given some incredible starts, getting the Gujarat Titans off to really quick starts in the powerplay. Vijay Shankar is one of the players who has gone through his best seasons, coming in and making some really valuable contributions. Behind them, David Miller, with the added responsibility of finishing the innings has been in the form of his life over the last year, while the batter after him has proven to be an example of Gujarat Titans giving players clarity.

Rahul Tewatia, the finisher, was once primarily a leg-spinner. This season though, with his ability to hit sixes in the back clearly, Rahul Tewatia has primarily been used in the final two overs to tonk the ball. He has not bowled much and has gone from leg-spinner to specialist finisher. The captain too has done a fair bit with the bat, without really lighting up the tournament. He has moved around the batting line-up, occasionally taking the responsibility to come up at number three when he felt his side was in some trouble.

The bowling though has been the true strength, making Gujarat Titans all the more frightening. Mohammad Shami up front has been as good as ever, making inroads with ease, and taking out some of the best batters in the opposing team. Hardik Pandya too has been chipping in during the powerplay, bowling some crucial overs with some really sharp on-pace deliveries.

With Shami leading the way in the first phase, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed come after batters at a stage where batters would like to build some momentum. With batters looking to go more on the attack in the middle overs, Rashid Khan has been a lot more effective. He has also guided Noor Ahmed wonderfully as the pair have been hunting for wickets with a lot of hunger, often seemingly competing among themselves.

Another star for them, who has not been noticed as much is Josh Little. The left-arm seamer from Ireland has helped provide variety to the pace attack with his left-arm angle and has done his job in the tougher parts of the innings. A story for the Gujarat Titans though has been Mohit Sharma. Out in the wilderness, Mohit Sharma found his way back into the IPL after Yash Dayal was taken apart by Rinku Singh, and he is bossing the death overs.

In 13 games he has taken 24 wickets and is doing wonders with his change of pace and length balls, which leave batters confused. He has quickly become a wicket-taking machine in the death and this has allowed Gujarat to keep Shami for an extra over in the powerplay, allowing their best bowlers to bowl where they want to bowl.

Their bowling success has been evident with the top three wicket-takers this season all coming from the Gujarat Titans. Mohammad Shami remains at the top followed by Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma respectively as the trio have been hunting well to put Gujarat Titans on top. They have one more game, and all three of them have some really good numbers against the Chennai Super Kings batters. Bowlers are known to win tournaments, and these three have put Gujarat Titans in a handsome spot ahead of the Finals.