IPL 2022: Priyank Panchal set to join Gujarat Titans as backup player

Gujarat captain Priyank Panchal is likely to join Indian Premier League (IPL) debutants Gujarat Titans as a backup player soon, a reliable source told Sportskeeda on Saturday. The Ahmedabad-based franchise will begin their maiden IPL campaign with a clash against fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on 28th March.

Panchal’s recent T20 exploits get rewarded

The past few months have been quite eventful for the right-handed opener. After leading India A in two of the three unofficial Tests against South Africa A in South Africa late last year, Panchal was named as a replacement for Rohit Sharma, who was ruled out of the three-match Test series in the Rainbow Nation due to a hamstring injury.

Despite not getting a game, he “learnt a lot” from the experience of sharing the Indian dressing room with former captain Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and others. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda in February, Panchal said:

“Talking about the Indian Test team, I’ve learnt a lot from the experience because it was a bit different from the India A experience. But I would say that the quality of cricket [between India A and India] is not very different because we face almost the same bowlers. I hope to get my Test cap soon.”

Though yet to receive his Test cap, Panchal also featured in India’s 18-member Test squad for the recently concluded home series against Sri Lanka, which the hosts won 2-0.

In addition, he scored a first-innings fifty (52 off 63 deliveries) in Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy 2021-22 campaign opener against Madhya Pradesh in Rajkot last month. It was his only Ranji Trophy match this season.

Notwithstanding his success in first-class cricket, Panchal’s limited-overs performances have gone largely unnoticed.

The 31-year-old missed out on an IPL contract at last month’s mega auction in Bengaluru despite stacking up healthy numbers in T20 cricket.

In the latest edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Panchal scored 188 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 135.25.

Pigeonholed as a “red-ball specialist” until a few years ago, Panchal has broken the stereotype with a revamped batting approach that hinges on power-hitting and newfound confidence.

Panchal with Virat Kohli (R) during the South African tour. Image: Priyank Panchal on Facebook

In the same interview with Sportskeeda, Panchal elaborated on what he has done differently to achieve white-ball success. He said:

“My limited-overs batting has improved a lot over the past two to three years, and the stats prove that. I got the results in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. I was amazed to see that I was able to score runs at a good strike-rate in T20 cricket.”

Panchal also thanked former Indian wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel for infusing confidence in him. When asked what it would mean for him to be picked by Gujarat Titans at the auction, Panchal told Sportskeeda:

"I would love to play for any of the ten franchises, but being picked by the Gujarat franchise will be the cherry on top."

The IPL is a platform where dreams come true. Under Ashish Nehra’s tutelage and Hardik Pandya’s leadership at Gujarat Titans, Panchal will look to make the most of his maiden IPL sojourn.