Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has suggested that the Gujarat Titans (GT) are unlikely to release any of their marquee players,. While Rashid Khan didn’t perform up to expectations, Chopra believes the franchise will stick with the experienced Afghan spinner.
GT secured third place in the league stage with 18 points from 14 matches. However, their campaign ended with a 20-run loss to Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator held in New Chandigarh on May 30.
Chopra pointed out that GT’s struggles stemmed largely from issues in the middle order. He also noted that Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada fell short with the ball. Despite these concerns, he doesn’t see the team letting go of its core players, especially considering their championship win in IPL 2022.
“I don’t think they’ll make any changes. They’re unlikely to let anyone go. It’s well known that the top three players scored most of the runs, and there’s some inconsistency from positions 4 to 6. Rashid Khan wasn’t in great form, and Kagiso Rabada was ordinary,” he said.
“But, what can you change? There’s nothing to gain from releasing and bringing someone back in. Rashid Khan, despite being the most expensive, won’t be released. If you look at the players who have underperformed, it’s Rashid Khan who stands out,” the former cricketer-turned-commentator added.
“That said, he’s Rashid Khan. Even if he has a couple of bad seasons, you’ll want him to stay because on the day he performs, he can win you the match. Even when he wasn’t performing well this season, when he did have one good performance, he won them the game. He has that kind of ability and pedigree.”
Rashid managed only nine wickets in 15 innings, with an economy rate of 9.34. Rabada featured in four matches, taking just two wickets and leaking runs at 11.57 per over.