3 Players GT should not use as Impact Players in IPL 2023

Gujarat Titans (GT) come into IPL 2023 as the defending champions on the back of their impressive title run in their debut season in 2022. The franchise has since made some astute moves in the mini-auction last year by adding valuable pieces like Kane Williamson, Joshua Little, and KS Bharat, to name a few.

Led by charismatic skipper Hardik Pandya, GT will look to take off from where they left off a year ago and defend their title successfully in 2023.

Adding to the building excitement of the upcoming IPL season is the introduction of several innovative rules to be implemented, especially the Impact Player rule.

This will have a captain listing four substitute players in addition to the playing XI at the toss. They can be used as an Impact Player during the game, at the start of the innings, at the end of the over, or after a wicket falls. The player he replaces can take no further part in the match. The Impact Player must be an Indian player if a team has already named four overseas players in their playing eleven.

This innovation will have the think tank of all the franchises planning to use certain players as Impact Players while also pondering upon those that cannot be used for the same. This rule has been brought in to mainly reduce the impact of the toss and have the best version of the two teams playing each other.

We look at the three players GT should avoid using as Impact Players in the upcoming IPL.

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#1 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma's stocks have fallen

Gujarat Titans roped in Mohit Sharma at the auction last year for his base price of ₹50 Lakhs. A former Purple Cap winner in 2014 with the Chennai Super Kings, Sharma's stocks have dwindled over the last few years. The medium pacer went unsold a year ago and was a net bowler for the Titans. The 34-year-old picked up six wickets in eight matches for Haryana in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

However, GT is expected to start its campaign with a playing eleven balance similar to last year. The team went with Rahul Tewatia batting at no. 6 and Rashid Khan at no. 7, followed by four bowlers. With this approach, GT had close to seven bowling options to bowl their quota of 20 overs.

With little reason to change, GT will likely follow a similar blueprint that reaped great rewards last year. The three starting pacers will be either Alzarri Joseph or Joshua Little, with the Indian seamers being Mohammad Shami and their top buy at last year's auction, Shivam Mavi.

This would likely mean the team will not need an additional bowling option throughout the game. Even if required, GT could choose a left-arm seam option to add some variety, meaning Yash Dayal or Pradeep Sangwan.

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#2 KS Bharat

India's wicket-keeper batter KS Bharat was picked by the Gujarat Titans in the mini auction last year to help provide the team with another Indian wicket-keeper to cover for the aging Wriddhiman Saha. Saha was one of the key cogs in the second half of last season for GT in their title run. He averaged 31.70 with the bat at a strike rate of 122 in 11 matches.

While neither set the world on fire in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Saha's role as the opener last season should ensure that he starts in the playing eleven for GT in IPL 2023. Latest acquisition and New Zealand star batter Kane Williamson will take ownership of the crucial no.3 position in the batting order.

Bharat is known to be an accumulator in the middle overs of the T20 innings. With the in-form Shubman Gill and Saha opening along with Williamson at no. 3, Bharat could be ineffective if used later in the order owing to his lack of power game. Considering that, KS Bharat could be used as a straight swap with Saha in the playing eleven should the latter display bad form through the initial phases of the tournament.

However, using Bharat as an Impact Player might not be a wise option considering his inability to be a powerful finisher, with Saha already playing as the wicket-keeping opener and with Hardik Pandya and David Miller to follow.

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# 3 Urvil Patel

Urvil Patel, a Gujarat native, was picked up by the Gujarat Titans in the mini-auction last year. Patel had a spectacular season in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, averaging 32 at a blistering strike rate of 167 while opening the batting for Gujarat. The youngster is seen as a backup wicket-keeping option for GT and an aggressor at the top of the order for his ability in the Powerplay.

However, with Saha currently expected to play a similar role after having success last year, it is unlikely that Urvil will start ahead of Saha to begin the season. With the 24-year-old still in the early stages of his career, it may be a bit much to ask of Urvil to be substituted as an Impact Player right away in a different position in the batting order.

He will likely be the heir apparent to Saha, and should the veteran struggle at the start of the season, Urvil could take up the role of an aggressive opener.