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The Gujarat Titans (GT) have already garnered immense appreciation for their business in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auction, they acquired Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill in the draft before snapping up several players on cut-price deals. Even at the IPL 2023 auction, GT placed focus on the holes in their roster and didn't get carried away. Most of the Titans' key players are on understandably priced contracts.
Other names on the roster, however, have commanded price tags that they arguably don't merit, two of whom haven't even played for the franchise yet. Here are three GT players who are on overpriced contracts for IPL 2023.
#3 Jayant Yadav
Jayant Yadav was bought by GT for ₹1.7 crore at the IPL 2022 mega-auction, an amount that seems steep for a player of his age and caliber. The all-rounder hasn't yet turned out for the Titans and has made only 19 appearances in his IPL career.
Jayant is a useful off-spinner on turning tracks and can contribute a few sedate runs as well, but he certainly isn't a reliable T20 all-rounder. He has scored only 40 runs and picked up just eight wickets in his IPL career, which has spanned eight seasons. This is a clear indication that franchises haven't been able to rely on the veteran over the years.
Quite why GT shelled out ₹1.7 crore for Jayant remains a mystery.
#2 Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi was GT's marquee acquisition at the IPL 2023 auction as they snapped up the recently capped player for ₹6 crore.
Mavi has played 32 matches in his IPL career, having picked up 30 wickets at an economy rate of 8.71. He is not reliable in any phase of a T20 innings, and while he has a high ceiling, both his pace and his control over his variations have dwindled of late.
The biggest reason why GT decided to fork out a sizeable sum was his batting ability. The youngster can add some might to their lower order, which wore a thin look last year. But Mavi has scored only 51 runs in his IPL career and has a long way to go in that department.
#1 Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia was one of the standout players at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. Fresh off a couple of incredible performances for the Rajasthan Royals, the all-rounder sparked a bidding war that ended when GT decided they would be willing to shell out ₹9 crore for his services.
Tewatia played a big role in the Titans' run to the title last year as he tallied 217 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 147.62. He finished a couple of games off and was active in all three departments. However, the leg-spinner was scarcely used with the ball as he sent down only 36 balls in IPL 2022, with an economy rate of 12.67.
Tewatia adds value to any T20 team in the world, but his one-dimensional batting is bound to be found out at some point. Add to that the fact that he hasn't bowled much, and his price tag starts to look disproportionate.
