Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has a suggestion for Gujarat Titans as the IPL team looks to find a replacement for former captain Hardik Pandya who recently moved to Mumbai Indians. The Gujarat-based team will face a tough challenge in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction as they look to replace their former captain.
Hardik Pandya a Gujarat Titans legend
After finishing as the champions in the IPL 2022, Gujarat Titans announced the release of their skipper and all-time leading wicket-taker, Hardik pandya, in a cash-for-sale trade. Pandya’s transfer to Mumbai Indians took place ahead of the upcoming player auction in Dubai scheduled to take place on December 19, 2023.
In the past two IPL seasons, Hardik Pandya has been the captain of Gujarat Titans and played a key role in the team’s success. Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the title in their inaugural season in 2022. Earlier this year, he led Gujarat Titans to finish as the runners-up of the tournament.
Over the course of those two seasons, Pandya scored more than 800 runs and took 11 wickets. He is considered one of the best all-rounders in the world.
Ifran Pathan sees Azmatullah Omarzai as solution
Replacing Pandya will be a huge task for any team. Even though Gujarat Titans have appointed Shubman Gill to be their new captain, there is a lot of excitement around the announcement of his replacement.
While a number of names have been doing rounds to replace Pandya, Irfan Pathan has come up with an interesting name: Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai.
”I see Azmatullah Omarzai going to Gujarat Titans because he is a perfect fit. We have Rashid Khan there as well, who can actually get the best out of his countryman. Apart from an all-rounder, they require a proper fast bowler there. They need to go for that extra pace and they have a good purse available,” Pathan said while speaking to Star Sports.
While we still have almost a fortnight to go before the IPL 2024 auction takes place, it can be said that Irfan Pathan’s suggestion will be looked at from close quarters by the Gujarat Titans management.