Gujarat Titans' batting coach Parthiv Patel on Monday spoke about the absence of David Miller in his team's lower-middle order in IPL 2025, and said although it is very difficult to fill his shoes, the team has players who can do the same job.
"I don't see a problem there, releasing a player who has done well, but the auction is dynamic where we have to take such harsh decisions. Nevertheless, we have signed Sherfane Rutherford, who is a very good hitter and we have Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan who has done well for us in the past. So obviously when someone like Miller is not there you don't look at that, it is very difficult to fill those shoes but we have players who can do the job for our team, " the former India wicketkeeper-batter said.
Miller was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 7.5 crore (Rs 75 million) in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He is regarded as one of the contemporary white-ball legends for South Africa. Across 128 games for the Proteas, he has accumulated 2,473 runs at an average of 32.54, with a strike rate of nearly 140, including two centuries and seven fifties.
Miller has for represented three IPL sides - Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans. His tenure with Punjab from 2012-19 established him as a significant IPL asset, as he thrived during his peak years from 2013-15, reaching the finals with his team in 2014.
After a slew of disappointing performances, Titans showed faith in Miller's finishing ability in the previous edition and he justified their trust with a total of 481 runs in 16 matches, including two fifties, playing an essential role in the team's title win in their debut season. Miller is also established himself as a big-match player.
Gujarat Titans will clash against Punjab Kings in the fifth game of the IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
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