3 players who can replace Kane Williamson if he's ruled out of GT's next IPL 2023 match

Kane Williamson is one of the greatest cricketers of the modern generation. Defending champions Gujarat Titans signed the New Zealand white-ball skipper for ₹2 crores at the IPL auction after he was released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Williamson suffered a knee injury in GT's win against the Chennai Super Kings in the season opener on Friday while attempting a catch on the boundary rope. Although he saved a couple of runs, an awkward landing on his right foot, with seemingly his whole body weight on it, ruled him out for the rest of the match.

Reports suggest that he might be ruled out of the tournament. GT needs to be ready with his replacement for the upcoming clash against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

In this article, we'll take a look at three players that can replace the Kiwi batsman.

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#1 Matthew Wade

Matthew Wade is the most obvious replacement for Williamson. He can slot into the top order and be used as a Powerplay hitter. They can explore several combinations - opening with Shubman Gill and Wade or opening with Wriddhiman Saha and Wade with Gill at number 3.

Wade can also bat anywhere in the order depending on the team's requirements. He has been a successful finisher for Australia and was instrumental in GT's title win last season.

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#2 David Miller

Although Miller and Williamson perform different roles in a T20 team, the South African middle-order superstar might just directly replace the injured batter in the playing XI. He missed out on the season opener because he was playing for the national team against the Netherlands in a series that would decide if they directly played the World Cup or have to play qualifiers.

GT can then play an extra spinner like Sai Kishore at the Kotla, a wicket which has historically been suitable for spin bowling. In that case, Hardik Pandya can take up the role of an anchor while the rest of the middle order can look to play aggressive cricket.

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#3 Sai Sudarshan

Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudarshan was the first player to be used as an Impact Player by the Gujarat Titans. He also replaced Williamson as a substitute player in the first innings. Coming in at number 3, he scored 22 runs off 17 balls in a run-chase of 179. His partnership with Gill was important at that stage of the game.

Sudarshan is the closest like-for-like replacement for the former SRH captain. Ashish Nehra has often stated the importance of an anchor in the playing XI. His presence will also allow Gujarat to play an extra overseas batter or bowler depending upon the opposition and match conditions.