It was almost confirmed that Shubman Gill would become the captain as soon as Hardik left: Aakash Chopra

In a major development ahead of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it was recently announced that Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya was traded to his former side Mumbai Indians, in an all-cash deal, in what is being highlighted as the biggest trade in the history of the IPL.

With Pandya leaving Gujarat for Mumbai, the Titans were left without a skipper, and shortly after the trade was made official, it was announced that star Indian batter Shubman Gill will be leading Gujarat Titans for the upcoming season of the IPL.

Gill has been a formidable player for Gujarat ever since he was brought in, and with his sensational performance in the 2023 season, the 24-year-old was the highest run-getter of the tournament and he will be keen on putting in similar performances in 2024 as well.

Seeing the announcement of Gill being the new skipper of Gujarat Titans, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra took centre stage and came forward to opine that it was made clear when Pandya left that Gill would be leading the Titans in 2024.

"Shubman Gill is the new Gujarat Titans captain. A lot of things have happened to him at 23 years of age, which is fascinating and fantastic. It was almost confirmed that Shubman would become the captain as soon as Hardik left," Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Kane is such a good person: Chopra

Aakash Chopra also wondered about the possibility of Kane Williamson being a potential replacement for Pandya as the skipper of the side. He also stated that Titans had an example from Kane’s time as the skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, but in the end, the franchise went with Gill as the ideal choice.

"There was a school of thought about whether Kane Williamson should be made captain. You have an example of Hyderabad already. Kane is such a good person; he drops himself if he is not doing well," Chopra said.