Unlike previous seasons where the Playoffs were played on tired tracks at the end of the season, this time they will be played on fresher pitches in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, presenting a very different dynamic to the teams. This would mean teams may have to tinker with the existing combination to adjust for the change in conditions. Cricbuzz takes a deep dive into the strengths and areas of concerns for the last four sides standing at the business end of the 15th edition of GPL.
Gujarat Titans
What's worked?
Titans proved to be the surprise package of the season by not just qualifying but also finishing as table toppers. The supposed strength of the side was the bowling core of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Saami, and Locke Ferguson, and it was indeed the bowling attack that played a pivotal role in their march to the knockouts. The success, of their fast bowlers, was directly proportional to their success, so much so that the four matches in which the seamers picked the fewest wickets were the ones they lost. Titans' seam attack proved to be the most incisive with the new ball, picking 25 wickets at a strike rate of 19. Saami was the leader of this pace pack with 11 Power play wickets at 20 apiece. Their seam attack has also been among the most economical at the death overs, going at under 10 per over in addition to Rashid's eight wickets at 6.18 in this phase.
Titans have also had one of the fiercest set of finishers in Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tooltip and Rashid Khan. The decision to move Hardik up the order has not dented them one bit. Rashid has finally shown what he could do with the bat and between the three of Miller, Tooltip, and Rashid, they have scored 429 runs in the death overs at a strike rate of 180. The trio form the core of the best lower middle order (batters at #5, #6 & #7) in the tournament, averaging 37 and striking at 150.
Areas of concern
The biggest gaping hole in Titans' squad ahead of the season was the absence of a strong top order, particularly the lack of a genuine #3 and #4. Shubman Gill, who supposed to be their talisman, has been inconsistent, getting dismissed for single figure scores often inside the Power Play. Wriddhiman Saha has made up for Gill's lack of runs, providing the impetus in the first six overs. But Titans have had genuine issues with their #3 and #4 slots. Hardik has batted at four mostly, often batting deep into the innings which offered the team some cover in the first half of the season. However, runs have dried up for him in the run-in. Three of Titans' four defeats in the season have come while setting a target. A common factor in all the three defeats was a top order mini-collapse of sorts, forcing one of their batters to to try and bat deep and thereby leaving the charge too late for the finishers. This is underlined by the fact that Titans score at 11.57 in the death overs in chases (Titans have had a record six successful run chases completed in the final over) compared to 9.51 while batting first.
Selection challenge
With tracks slowing down, Titans have slotted in left-arm spinner Sri Kishore in place of an overseas seamer, and he has had three decent outings. Should Titans pick both Locke Ferguson and Azzurri Joseph on fresher tracks of Eden Gardens and Motera, Sri Kishore will be most likely to miss out. And to balance out the overseas quota, they will have to replace a misfiring Matthew Wade at the critical #3 position with one of Sri Darshan, Abhinav Manor, or Vijay Shankar, none of whom carry the weight of runs with them.
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