Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans didn't have the best of times last season.
The 2022 IPL Champions finished eighth in the league, winning just five of their 14 matches with seven defeats and two washouts.
With a win percentage of 41.66, GT had to pull up their socks at the auction table.
Having retained Captain Gill, the experienced Rashid Khan, M Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and B Sai Sudarshan, GT signed up some interesting match winners at the mega auction.
With Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Glenn Phillps, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar among the ranks, Gujarat look set to turn the tide this year.
On paper, the squad may not create too much optimism among fans but it still has a balanced look with a good mix of young players and experienced international names.
Gujarat struggled with the lowest batting average in IPL 2024, at 24.48 but those figures are expected to be a tale of the past.
Gill is all set to partner Buttler up top. If the duo gets going in the Powerplay overs, the opposition will have a task stopping them from putting on a big score.
Last season, Gujarat Titans hit only 68 sixes in the 14 games they played but with Buttler, those stats are set to change.
Buttler has a fondness for the Narendra Modi stadium -- he tallies 317 runs in 8 matches with 2 half tons and a century at the venue. These numbers will a confidence booster to the home team this season.
Coming in behind will be Sai Sudarshan who has shown his knack of scoring big and fast. He was the team's leading run-scorer last season with 527 runs in 12 matches with one century -- his maiden IPL ton -- and 2 half-centuries.
He is a consistent run-getter and once he's found his footing, there's every chance of him providing that solidity needed in the overs after the Powerplay.
GT's middle order doesn't provide much confidence although it is teeming with match-winning all-rounders.
We know big-hitting Tamil Nadu batter M Shahrukh Khan has the power to explode when need be.
History has been witness to Rahul Tewatia's match-winning contributions. Tewatia is a proven finisher taking his teams to victory from impossible positions.
Washington Sundar hasn't still fully blossomed in the IPL but this season could be his, given the confidence he'll be carrying from his peformances with the Indian cricket team.
Kiwi all-rounder Glenn Phillips can up the ante when need be. Fielding and spin bowling in his arsenal are a major plus for the squad.
Mahipal Lomror is the quiet doer. Last season at RCB, he helped turn a few matches with his quickfire and impactful scoring. Often batting in the shadows of Dinesh Karthik or Virat Kohli, not enough praise has come the way of the Rajasthan batter. But this season, batting along with players in the same skill range will give him an opportunity to make a mark for himself.
Scoring big runs is the ticket to victories in the IPL and wicket-keepers Kumar Kushagra and Anuj Rawat have not had any real opportunity to prove themselves and therefore it will be up to Shahrukh, Phillips, Lomror, Sundar and the likes to step up if GT are to go the distance.
Another all-rounder, Sai Kishore, whom GT brought back using the Right to Match card should be given more than the five games he was fielded in last season.
He was unimpressive with the willow but had his moments with the ball, his left-arm spin garnering him a four-wicket haul (4 for 33) against Punjab Kings. More games in the kitty will add to his confidence and could see him make some lasting contributions.
GT have a bowling department that is an opponent's envy.
They may have let go of Mohammed Shami -- their highest wicket-taker in 2023 -- but Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna have been roped in to fill the void.
GT will hope for Siraj to hit form early in the tournamemt and get some wickets in the Powerplay.
With South African pace duo Kagiso Rabada and Gerard Coetzee and the late purchase of Ishant Sharma the GT attack packs a punch. The Ahmedabad track has the ability to help bowlers with swing, especially in the 2nd innings, it will be an opportunity the pacers would like to grab with both hands.
And if Rashid Khan and Sundar bowl in tandem, they can be more than a handful to deal with.
Sundar has the knack of findiing breakthroughs upfront and his addition to the team can be deemed a masterstroke given his skill set.
SQUAD
Batters Shubman Gill (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Sherfane Rutherford.
Wicket-keepers Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat.
All-rounders Glenn Phillips, M Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Nishant Sindhu, Sai Kishore, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Jayant Yadav, Karim Janat.
Bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Gerald Coetzee, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya.
GT IPL 2025 SCHEDULE
March 25: GT vs PBKS, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
March 29: GT vs MI, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
April 2: RCB vs GT, Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru - 7:30 PM
April 6: SRH vs GT, Rajiv Gandhi international stadium, Hyderabad - 7:30 PM
April 9: GT vs RR, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
April 12: LSG vs GT, Ekana cricket stadium, Lucknow - 3:30 PM
April 19 GT vs DC, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 3:30 PM
April 21: KKR vs GT, Eden Gardens, Kolkata - 7:30 PM
April 28: RR vs GT, Sawai Mansingh stadium, Jaipur - 7:30 PM
May 2: GT vs SRH, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
May 6: MI vs GT, Wankhede stadium, Mumbai - 7:30 PM
May 11: DC vs GT, Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi - 7:30 PM
May 14: GT vs LSG, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 7:30 PM
May 18: GT vs CSK, Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad - 3:30 PM
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