3 concerns for GT after heavy loss to CSK in IPL 2024

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) got underway on March 22 and we have already witnessed some thrilling encounters. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started their campaign with a resounding win against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) before inflicting a heavy defeat on the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The Titans side that won the tournament in 2022 and suffered a heart-wrenching defeat in the final of 2023 were blown away by a confident CSK unit in the seventh match of IPL 2024. The killer instincts of the Titans were missing all through the match as they suffered a massive 63-run defeat.

IPL is a very long tournament and all 10 teams are bound to lose some games. However, what might affect the Gujarat Titans is the manner of the defeat. The bowling unit was all over the place for the majority of the 20 overs and conceded 206 runs.

The pitch looked like a belter and given the strong batting lineu GT has, they would have backed themselves to chase it down. However, it turned out exactly the opposite as Gujarat kept losing wickets regularly and could eventually muster 143 in their allotted 20 overs.

Having said that, let us have a look at three concerns for GT after the heavy defeat.

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#3 Rashid Khan's form

Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan is one of the most sought-after bowlers in the franchise cricket and the leader of the pack for the Gujarat Titans. Despite his skill sets and match-winning abilities, it has been an indifferent start for the magician in the 17th season of IPL.

In the first encounter against Mumbai Indians, Rashid went wicketless. While he was economical and conceded just 23 runs in four overs, it was far from the ideal scenario for Gujarat.

However, he was taken to the cleaners in the clash against the Chennai Super Kings. Rashid couldn't quite find his lengths consistently and ended up conceding 49 runs in his four overs. He took a couple of wickets but that wasn't enough to stop the run flow. Sameer Rizvi took a liking to Rashid as the debutant smashed a couple of sixes to announce his arrival in the IPL.

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#2 Overdependence on GT skipper Shubman Gill

One of the finest modern-day white ball batters Shubman Gill has his work cut out in this edition of IPL after being elevated as the captain of the franchise. He is the youngest captain in the league but has a calm head.

Taking such a big responsibility at a young age is never easy especially when the team is heavily reliant on you to deliver the goods as a batter. He started the campaign with a 22-ball 31 but had a poor outing against the Chennai Super Kings.

Following his departure, the middle order crumbled under pressure and never managed to score anywhere close to the rate required. There is no doubt about the greatness of Gill as a batter but GT shouldn't try to put extra pressure on the young skipper.

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#1 Strike rate issue in the middle overs

Gujarat Titans began their campaign with a victory against Mumbai Indians before suffering a defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings. In both these matches, GT's strike rate has been an issue especially in the middle overs.

Sai Sudharsan scored 45 off 39 deliveries against MI and followed it up with a 31-ball 37 against the Chennai Super Kings. He is a sensational striker of the ball but his strike rate has been a concern in the season so far. He has to be a bit more proactive as the tournament progresses.

Meanwhile, the likes of Azmatullah Omarzai and David Miller, who are bonafide power hitters, have failed to get going in the two matches so far. For Gujarat to start winning consistently, their strike rate has to improve in the middle overs.