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The Gujarat Titans made some notable signings on their first attempt during Day 1 of the IPL 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on Saturday (February 12).
They went into the auction room with a clear plan and looked happy with what they had in the bag after the long day. The newly-added franchise, backed by CVC Capital, had already signed Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan in the pre-draft.
The Titans signed seven more cricketers on Day 1, including international stars Mohammed Shami and Jason Roy.
On the note, let's take a look at Gujarat Titans rankings on Day 1.
#1 Jason Roy
The English hard-hitting batter was one of the first few cricketers to be signed by Gujarat Titans. It was a great steal buy by the newly-added franchise at a mere ₹2 crore.
Jason Roy landed in the IPL sphere in 2017 when he bagged a deal with the Gujarat Lions before shifting base to Delhi Daredevils (currently known as Delhi Capitals) next season.
Roy joined Sunrisers Hyderabad as Mitchell Marsh's replacement in IPL 2021. Overall, he has scored 329 runs in 13 games at an average of 29.91 at a strike rate of 129.02.
Gujarat will expect Jason Roy to partner Shubman Gill at the top and fire on all cylinders.
#2 Mohammed Shami
The veteran Indian pacer was the first player signed by the Gujarat Titans at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The franchise was involved in a bidding war with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants to acquire Shami's service for ₹6.25 crore.
The 31-year-old pacer was picked as the leader of the pace attack. An experienced customer, Shami has featured in 79 IPL matches picking up an identical number of wickets.
The right-arm pacer was at his very best in the last three seasons, claiming 19, 20, and 19 scalps, respectively. Shami will hope to repay the trust shown by the franchise in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league.
#3 Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia has emerged as one of the most effective all-rounders on the domestic circuit. He has been bestowed with the difficult jobs over and over again and Tewatia has passed with full marks.
The all-rounder emerged from the shadows with his stellar performances for the Rajasthan Royals, in one of which he hit five sixes in an over against Punjab Kings in IPL 2018.
Tewatia entered the IPL 2022 mega auction at a reserve price of ₹ 40 lakhs. After an intense bidding war against Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans emerged as the ultimate winners, roping in the all-rounder for ₹9 crore.
He will be a valuable addition to the Gujarat Titans squad, helping the side strike a balance with his ability to contribute with all three departments.
#4 Lockie Ferguson
The 30-year-old Kiwi pacer was snared by the Titans at a whopping amount of ₹10 crore.
The right-arm pacer entered the IPL 2022 mega auction at a base price of ₹2 crore. His price soon jumped to ₹4 crore within a split second with Delhi Capitals leading the bidding.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore made an entry at ₹7.25 crores but Gujarat Titans knew what they wanted and continued bidding before roping him at ₹10 crore.
Ferguson will pair up with Mohammed Shami as the new-ball bowler and is expected to rack up some good pace. Lockie had a spectacular stint in the second half of IPL 2021, picking up 13 wickets in 8 matches, and will hope to replicate the same in Gujarat colours.
#5 Sai Kishore
After spending a couple of seasons on the sidelines of Chennai Super Kings and picking MS Dhoni's brain, Sai Kishore was snared by Gujarat Titans for INR 3 crore.
A Tamil Nadu stalwart, Sai is one of the best left-arm spinners in the domestic circuit. While it was expected that Chennai will rope him in once again, Delhi and Rajasthan triggered an initial bidding war. Punjab Kings also joined the fray and was leading the race at ₹1.6 crore before the Titans entered the battle to rope in the young cricketer.
With Rashid Khan already in their ranks, the Gujarat Titans management wanted another spinner to play second fiddle and Sai Kishore fits the bill perfectly.
The 25-year-old enjoys a stellar record in domestic T20s, having scalped 43 wickets in 38 matches at an economy rate of 5.46 runs per over.
#6 Noor Ahmad
Gujarat Titans strengthened their spin department, adding an unknown product to their ranks in Noor Ahmad. The 17-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner from Afghanistan will add variety to the attack with Rashid and Sai Kishore already in the squad.
The newly-added franchise were the sole bidders for the youngsters and roped him in for ₹20 lakh.
A globetrotter who plays in various T20 leagues, Noor has so far featured in 33 T20 matches, picking up an identical number of wickets at an economy rate of 7.23. He will hope to make a mark in the Indian Premier League.
#7 Abhinav Manohar
The 27-year-old Abhinav Manohar grabbed eyeballs when he helped Karnataka with a swashbuckling 49-ball 70* laced with six sixes in a must-win game against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Coming into the auction, many franchises had their eyes on the cricketer having displayed his skills in the Karnataka Premier League. He had a base price of ₹20 lakh and KKR started the bidding alongside Delhi and soon his price surged to ₹1 crore.
Delhi made an exit before Gujarat Titans entered the fray. His price crossed the ₹2 crore-mark after intense bidding between Gujarat and Kolkata before the Capitals made a return with renewed interest. But the Titans had the last laugh with a bid of ₹2.6 crore.
Abhinav Manohar is expected to add a lot of value to the franchise and they surely had an eye on the future while picking up the youngster.
