Star-studded Gujarat Titans (GT) will be commencing the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025 with the intention to win the coveted trophy for one more time. Launching an impact player can allow for increasing depth in bowling and batting. In the previous two seasons of IPL, cricket enthusiasts witnessed a strategic change in the form of impact player rule. The franchise focused on auctioning undervalued players such as wicketkeeper batter Anuj Rawat, all-rounder R Sai Kishore, and pacer Prasidh Krishna who can be a valuable asset at the right time.
The season opener match for GT is scheduled for March 25 against Punjab Kings. The major woe GT experienced in IPL 2024 was stagnant batting in PowerPlay with a lower run rate and the concern with the middle order batting lineup is also an obstacle. Despite the presence of Rashid Khan, a star spinner from Afghanistan, the rate of leaking runs was uncontrollable, highlighting the worst dip in his IPL performance. He grabbed only 10 wickets in 12 fixtures, surrendering with a high rate of economy. Amid a flurry of losses, GT finished at the 8th spot in the points table, which was unexpected for a franchise that played both finals of the first two seasons and won the first one.
As the squad differs ahead of IPL 2025, the suitable playing XI will mark a significant change this season. Moreover, the clarity about choices for impact players can also change the tide. First, let’s have a look at the renewed squad for GT in IPL 2025.
GT Squad for IPL 2025
Batters: Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, R. Sai Sudharsan, Mahipal Lomror, Kumar Kushagra (Wk), Anuj Rawat (Wk), Sherfane Rutherford
All-rounders: Rashid Khan, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Karim Janat
Bowlers: Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya
Impact Player Options for GT in IPL 2025
Having a couple of overseas players such as Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada and Glenn Philips representing different departments, GT are likely to utilize the full limit of 4 overseas players. After the auction, the hunt for ideal impact players becomes important as this tactical decision can help in overcoming weaknesses. Let’s have a look at the records and stats of probable impact players.
1. R Sai Kishor
A left-handed batter and left-arm orthodox spinner, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore is a renowned indian player. He stands tall not only with his height but with his performance as well. Sai Kishore moved from Chennai Super Kings to Gujarat Titans, marking his presence impactful. His spin bowling bolstered the bowling lineup, helping the Titans to register success in IPL 2022.
Sai Kishore has played 10 IPL matches, taking 13 wickets with a strike rate of 14.31 highlighting his potential to grab a wicket each time after 14 fair deliveries. Sai Kishore has played a T20I match against Nepal after which he evolved on both international and domestic careers. In three T20I matches, he took 4 wickets with an impressive economy of 5.25 considering the importance of restricting runs in a T20 match. You can check his bowling stats in IPL and T20I as given below:
| Mat | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Eco | SR | 4w | 5w | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 10 | 31.0 | 258 | 13 | 4/33 | 19.85 | 8.32 | 14.31 | 1 | 0 |
| T20I | 3 | 12.0 | 63 | 4 | 3/12 | 15.75 | 5.25 | 18.0 | 0 | 0 |
Sai Kishore is expected to team up with other spinners like Rashid Khan to become part of the bowling strategy. He did not get plenty of opportunities to bat, but in IPL 2024 he played with an incredible strike rate of 216.67.
2. Anuj Rawat
As Anuj Rawat has a left-hand batting style, he can add variation in the batting line-up providing a right and left-hand combination. His IPL stints have been notable as an opener and finisher with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his entire IPL career starting in 2021, he has played 24 matches and amassed 318 runs at a strike rate of 119.10 taking 14 maximums and 26 boundaries. However, the lack of back-to-back performance resulted in RCB dropping him ahead of IPL 2025. Now, he has an opportunity to resurge in his IPL career after the revelation of his batting prowess in domestic cricket. As given below, you can see his bowling stats in IPL.
| Mat | No | Runs | Hs | Avg | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 5 | 318 | 66 | 19.88 | 267 | 119.10 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 14 |
Anuj Rawat’s cricket career extends beyond IPL as he showcased his caliber to push Delhi to the semi-final of a recent domestic series in 2024. In the condition of chasing a target, Anuj Rawat can step in to finish the match replacing a full-time bowler playing down the order. In various editions, RCB utilized his talent by introducing him as an impact player.
3. Prasidh Krishna
Pacer Prasidh Krishna is making a comeback after facing an injury and he will be playing first time after IPL 2022. As per the situation of defending the target, he can be called up to support bowlers as he has experience with the new ball. His lethal deliveries can cause trouble to batters, considering the home ground matches for Gujarat Titans to be played on a quite bowler-friendly surface at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Prasidh Krishna walked through a short span in an International career in both red-ball and white-ball formats. He has played 51 IPL matches and 5 T20I games, taking 49 and 8 wickets respectively. His variation in bounce and pace is certainly going to reap benefits for GT in IPL 2025.
| Mat | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Eco | SR | 4w | 5w | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 51 | 190.5 | 1703 | 49 | 4/30 | 34.76 | 8.92 | 23.37 | 1 | 0 |
| T20I | 5 | 20.0 | 220 | 8 | 3/41 | 27.50 | 11.00 | 15.0 | 0 | 0 |
The selection of Prasidh Krishna as an impact player can be part of workload management. He had played his first match in IPL in 2018 starting his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders and then moved to Rajasthan Royals, guiding the team with wickets and pace.
As the Gujarat Titans are heading to claim the IPL title a second time, a significant change with impact player options in batting and bowling order will amend the situation.
