• Source:JND
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IPL 2024 Auction: Gujarat Titans will be focusing on the replacement of their former skipper Hardik Pandya in the upcoming IPL 2024 Auction after the star all-rounder joined Mumbai Indians once again.

While the auction is set to take place on December 19 in Dubai, former India bowler Irfan Pathan has named a potential replacement for Pandya in the Shubman Gill-led side.

Hardik was last seen in action in the ODI World Cup 2023 at home before he picked up an ankle injury and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

 

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Pathan said that the Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai could be a good option as a replacement pf Hardik for the 2022 champions.

"Looking at the Gujarat Titans, they are missing out on Hardik Pandya. Obviously, they are missing out on a leader and a guy who can actually do both bat and ball equally, really well. Who is there at the auction table?" Irfan said on Star Sports.

"I see Azmatullah Omarzai going to Gujarat Titans because he is a perfect fit. We have Rashid Khan there as well, who can actually get the best out of his countryman. Apart from an all-rounder, they require a proper fast bowler there. They need to go for that extra pace, and they have a good purse available," he added.

Hardik Pandya was bought by the newly joined franchise in the 2022 mega auction and was appointed as the skipper of the side.

Pandya repaid the trust and went on to lead Gujarat to the IPL title in their maiden season and repeated with another impressive performance in the 2023 season, taking them to the final where they lost against Chennai Super Kings.

Omarzai, who was one of the stars of the Afghanistan team in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023 in India, is a young and promising performer who has the ability to put in effective performances with both bat and the ball.

He was brilliant in both departments in the World Cup as he scored 353 runs in nine innings and also picked up seven wickets as Afghanistan witnessed their best WC campaign but missed out on the semi-final spot.

Meanwhile, Irfan also stated that the five-time champions should go for pacer Harshal Patel, who has been released by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

 

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"They have a lot of fast bowlers who can get injured regularly, guys like Deepak Chahar. They keep a lot of faith in Deepak Chahar but if he is not fit and available, they can be in a mess. So what they need - maybe a guy like Harshal Patel. Bangalore is not far from there, so just get Harshal Patel with a small ride of five hours, and just get him in CSK," Pathan said on Star Sports.