Gujarat Titans are allegedly considering Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz as a potential replacement for England opener Jason Roy, who dropped out of the IPL 2022 season owing to bio-bubble fatigue.
The season would stretch for more than two months, and Roy did not want to be a part of it. He has also indicated that he would take an extended vacation from cricket in order to focus on his mental health.
In his place, the Titans, who paid INR 2 crores for him, are attempting to locate a suitable successor at the top. Gurbaz, a hard-hitting Afghan opener with a 150+ strike rate in T20s, is on their radar.
The 20-year-old has already amassed a substantial amount of experience in a variety of leagues. He has played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for Multan Sultans and Islamabad United, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for Khulna Tigers, and the Lanka Premier League for Kandy Tuskers (LPL).
Gurbaz has 113 sixes in only 69 T20 games, which further strengthens his credentials. At the top, he can team up with Shubman Gill, and their young energy might pay off for the Titans.
He can also play wicketkeeper since Titans’ first-choice keeper, Matthew Wade, will be available for the season starting in the second week. Another alternative is to start Wriddhiman Saha, who has had a difficult time recently.
Gujarat Titans’ team for the IPL 2022 season is as follows:
Hardik Pandya (c), Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Jason Roy, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmed, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Dominic Drakes, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhim