IPL 2023: 5 GT players who might be benched throughout the season
Gujarat Titans scripted history in IPL 2022 by winning the title in their debut season itself.
1. Odean Smith
Odean Smith created a lot of buzz with his exploits in the Caribbean Premier League 2021, which saw him take 18 wickets and hammer 126 runs at a strike rate of 132.63. Punjab Kings liked what they saw in the West Indies all-rounder and picked him at the 2022 mega auction.
However, the 25-year-old had a miserable campaign and could score only 51 runs in six games at a strike rate of 115.91. On the bowling front, he conceded runs at an alarming rate of 11.87. Following the poor outing, the Punjab franchise released him from the team.
Gujarat Titans decided to invest in the ace all-rounder and signed him at the IPL 2023 auction. However, it appears that Odean is more of a backup option and he could be benched for the entire season. GT have gun multi-faceted cricketers such as Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan in the mix. Given the quality of the all-rounders, Odean is unlikely to feature in the team.
Also, given Hardik Pandya & co. have gun overseas pacers such as Alzarri Joseph and Josua Little, the Jamica-born might not make it to the playing XI as a genuine bowler as well.
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