‘Apart from an all-rounder they require a…’ – Irfan Pathan names his perfect replacement for Hardik Pandya in Gujarat Titans for IPL 2024

The IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans recently traded their captain Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed amount after the closure of the retention window for IPL 2024. India’s former cricketer Irfan Pathan recently named Azmatullah Omarzai as the player who can replace Hardik Pandya as a middle order all-rounder for the team.  

Gujarat Titans Remaining Purse Value and Player Slots: GT will enter the IPL 2024 auction with a purse value of Rs 38.15 Crores and will bid for their remaining 8 player slots, including 6 for domestic and 2 for the overseas players.

Irfan Pathan on Hardik Pandya’s replacement in the Gujarat Titans squad

While talking to Star Sports Irfan Pathan discussed that the team is missing on a leader and said, “Looking at the Gujarat Titans, they are missing out on Hardik Pandya. Obviously, they are missing out on a leader and a guy who can actually do both bat and ball equally, really well. Who is there at the auction table?” 

“I see Azmatullah Omarzai going to Gujarat Titans because he is a perfect fit. We have Rashid Khan there as well, who can actually get the best out of his countryman. Apart from an all-rounder, they require a proper fast bowler there. They need to go for that extra pace, and they have a good purse available,” he added.

Pathan further said, “They have a lot of fast bowlers who can get injured regularly, guys like Deepak Chahar. They keep a lot of faith in Deepak Chahar but if he is not fit and available, they can be in a mess. So what they need – maybe a guy like Harshal Patel. Bangalore is not far from there, so just get Harshal Patel with a small ride of five hours, and just get him in CSK.” 

Gujarat Titans Retained Players IPL 2024: Shubman Gill (captain), Mohammed Shami, David Miller (overseas), Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade (overseas), Wriddhiman Saha, Rashid Khan (overseas), R Sai Kishore, B Sai Sudarshan, Kane Williamson (overseas), Noor Ahmad (overseas), Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Josh Little (overseas).

Gujarat Titans Released Players IPL 2024: Yash Dayal, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Alzarri Joseph, Odean Smith, Dasun Shanaka, Pradeep Sangwan, Hardik Pandya (Traded to Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed amount).