New Captain of Ahmedabad Based IPL Team in IPL 2022: The Ahmedabad based Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, on Monday, has been bombarded with delightful news by the BCCI. The Indian cricket board has finally granted the Letter of Intent (LOI) to the franchise with which the company will be able to process further developments.
The CVC Capitals Partners, last month, won the bid to operate the Ahmedabad IPL team for INR 5,625 Crores. The mentioned bid was the second-highest bid in the team auction, held last year, after RPSG Group’s record-breaking price of INR 7,090 Crores.
In the coming few days we will officially get to know the support staff in the team. However, as of now, reports suggests that former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra is all set to don the head coach’s role while former England batsman Vikram Solanki is foreseen to be the Director of Cricket Operations in the team.
The reports also indicated the appointment of former World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten as the mentor of the Ahmedabad IPL team.
Following the confirmation of the support staff, the franchise will go ahead with its player auction strategies, which is the most important aspect of the IPL. The entire squad is picked at the auction table, and hence, having an efficacious strategy will aid the management to perform well in the tournament.
However, ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, the two new IPL teams will have to pick as many as three players to form their core group. The BCCI under three draft picks provision allows the two new IPL teams to choose players ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
It is most likely that the franchise will pick its captain from these three players only. In this very article, we will lead you through the probable players who can be the new captain of the Ahmedabad based new IPL team in the upcoming IPL 2022.
New Captain of Ahmedabad Based IPL Team in IPL 2022:
Hardik Pandya:
Team India’s dashing all-rounder and former Mumbai Indians (MI) cricketer Hardik Pandya is the frontrunner to lead the Ahmedabad based IPL team in the IPL 2022. Mumbai Indians (MI) released the all-rounder during the recent player retention due to his inefficiency to fulfil his all-rounder’s duties.
The Baroda cricketer is one of the most sought players in T20 cricket. He has already exhibited his brilliance in the T20Is in the recent past.
The last two seasons of the IPL hasn’t been memorable for the all-rounder due to his recurring injury concerns. He only managed to dish out his batting services, leaving a fine bowler behind due to the back injury.
Veteran journalist K Shriniwas Rao though a tweet wrote that Hardik Pandya is going to be the skipper of Ahmedabad.
“Hardik Pandya will be the captain of the brand new Ahmedabad franchise,” wrote the journalist in a tweet.
Hardik has played for Mumbai Indians (MI) since his debut. The all-rounder featured in 92 IPL matches in which he plundered 1,476 runs at a threatening strike rate of 153.91. Moreover Hardik Pandya ‘the bowler’ has been effective in picking 42 T20 wickets for MI.
More than his strike rate and stats, Hardik Pandya is known to whack the opposition with his sheer power hitting. His batting skills have been sensational and has played a vital role in shaping his international career, where he has single-handedly won matches.
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Shreyas Iyer:
The other captaincy candidate in hand for the Ahmedabad IPL franchise will be middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer, who has been a potent leader in the past.
Iyer was associated with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2021 and before. He was the leader of the side for three years and took his team to new heights under his supervision. Delhi reached its maiden final in IPL 2020 under Shreyas Iyer and since IPL 2018 DC has been consistently reaching the playoffs of the tournament.
The Mumbai batsman has been an impeccable leader and has always proved his worth in gold. He has worked on himself quite a lot to be better at everything. He understands and reads the game of cricket extremely well and is calm and composed.
He plays fantastic cricket under pressure. His composed half-century against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2020 final speaks volumes of his determination. He rescued his team from a tricky situation in the final.
Surely, if not Hardik, Ahmedabad should try to rope in Shreyas Iyer as the leader of the team. Moreover, the cricketer is himself eyeing the captaincy role which indicates his inner will to lead a team.
Eoin Morgan:
England’s white-ball successful skipper Eoin Morgan also poses himself as a good candidate for the captaincy role. Though his batting still remains a concern, Morgan has been an outstanding captain.
Eoin Morgan was the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the IPL 2021. Though his bat remained silent throughout the season, his sharp captaincy reaped benefits for the team.
From nowhere to sealing a final berth in the IPL 2021, it was a commendable journey of the Knights. Unfortunately, KKR lost the IPL 2021 final due to CSK’s batting brilliance, but KKR still remained a formidable team to beat.
Moreover, Morgan has impressed everyone with his apt captaincy for England national side. Under his leadership, his team, England, won the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Despite the fact that his batting hasn’t been entertaining and enthralling, Morgan’s experience in the captaincy puts him way ahead of others in the captaincy race of Ahmedabad.