Following the IPL Auctions the Gujarat Titans copped some heavy criticism. Their batting was thin, with very little experience and only a few names. They took time to buy a keeper, and for a long time it looked like they may not be able to pick up a keeper in the auction. Their captain was coming of a long gap as well and is inexperienced as a skipper. The one region which looked strong was their bowling as the Gujarat Titans built a side full of bowling options.

In Shami and Ferguson, they have two fast and aggressive bowlers, who are good at any stage of the innings. Shami’s exploits in the first game was enough to break the match open and start their season well, while Ferguson has done his part well in the death overs. Hardik Pandya has also doubled up as a bowler, taking the new ball on a few occasions while regularly completing his quota of overs.

In the spin department, Gujarat Titans have the best in the world with Rashid Khan around. His presence gives them a third strike-bowler, making the attack look very unrelenting as talented bowlers keep coming at the batters. Additionally, they also have Rahul Tewatia who can bowl a few overs of leg-spin, giving them nearly six strong bowling options.

While the bowling attack already looked strong after the auctions, it was the batting line-up which has impressed. Each game, the batting line-up seems to find heroes, helping them win close games. Against Chennai Super Kings they had David Miller and Rashid Khan do the job, while Rahul Tewatia was another case in the game against the Punjab Kings. The Gujarat Titans do not bat too deep, and have a lot of bowling all-rounders, but when needed their batters stepped up.

Barring Matthew Wade and Vijay Shankar, almost each batter came up with exceptional performance. Shubman Gill, in particular, rose to the occasion. Picked in the side before the auction, Gill finally had the responsibility of carrying a batting line-up and he is doing his job well. He has also increased his strike-rate, which was a concern when he was with KKR, and is doing a fantastic job at the top of the order.

Another player who has supported his side well is Abhinav Manohar. While Manohar hasn’t come up with a match-winning innings yet, he has played a crucial role in most of Gujarat’s games. Batting from number four to number seven according to the situation, Manohar has adapted well and handled the IPL pressure nicely, especially while having a light batting line-up to be a part of. His supporting act helps give the side flexibility, and a match-winning role could be around the corner for him.

Abhinav Manohar’s success in handling pressure is also a factor in Gujarat Titan’s success, as the side did well to win a lot of close games this season. With situations like 12 off 2 and 48 off 18 ahead of them, the batters like Tewatia and Miller remained calm, and ensured that Gujarat Titans finished on the right side of close games, giving them some valuable points.

Hardik Pandya’s role is another factor and could be a major contributor to the teams success. He has led from the front, batting up the order and bowling consistently. He came into this tournament with very little game time, but adapted nicely, and is showing some wonderful signs as a captain.

With a strong bowling unit and a number of match-winners with the bat, the Gujarat Titans will know why they are on top of the table despite the criticism after the auction. They have an exceptional bowling unit, and a strong bowling unit generally helps teams go on to win some big tournaments, putting Gujarat Titans as some scary title contenders.