Prior to IPL auctions, defending champion Gujarat Titans held player trials at their home ground – Narendra Modi stadium – in Motera here to seek replacements for 3-4 players released by the team.
The trials were conducted over two days on Thursday and Friday and featured cricketers from India’s domestic circuit. “The nature of the sport is such that we have released 3-4 players despite winning. Changes (in the team) will be minimal. We have released two fast bowlers, so we will be looking at two substitutes,” said Ashish Nehra, head coach of Gujarat Titans, speaking to reporters at the stadium on Friday.
Speaking of the stadium trials, where a total of 52 players appeared, Nehra said: “These are players who did well on the domestic circuit. This was a chance to take a closer look at them. We have shortlisted 40-50 players for the trials. But we only have 2-3 slots for Indian players.” He said details of players participating in the trials were confidential.
In the 2022 IPL season, Gujarat Titans clinched the title in their first season. “It is difficult to hold on to the championship. In T20 the margin between victory and defeat is very small. So winning in the first year is great. Everyone wants to win and we are no different. The first year we won, in the coming years we will try to improve performance and consistency. Teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have consistently performed well,” said the left arm pacer who last played a T20 match for India in 2017.