Ahmedabad IPL team players 2022: Hardik Pandya picked as Ahmedabad captain for the franchise’s debut season in the IPL.
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Having received the ‘Letter of Intent’ from the IPL governing council last week, the CVC Capitals owned Ahmedabad-based franchise have reportedly named India’s flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya as their captain for their maiden appearance in IPL this year.
The franchise had already named former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra and former South African skipper Gary Kirsten as head coach and mentor of the team respectively earlier this month, while former England batter Vikram Solanki was named the team’s director.
It is worth mentioning that Ahmedabad, alongside Lucknow were supposed to submit the names of the three draft-in players in their respective squads by January 22. Both the new franchises were given the opportunity to negotiate and rope in a maximum of three players into their squad before the mega auctions which is likely to take place in February next month.
Ahmedabad IPL team players 2022: Hardik Pandya named captain; Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill also roped in
As per EspnCricinfo, alongside Hardik, the Ahmedabad management has also completed the remaining deals as star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, and former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opening batter Shubman Gill have been roped in as their two other draft-in players.
So Ahmedabad franchise’s third player is Shubhman Gill.
Hardik, Rashid & Gill is a good start. They can build around this at the auction.
Which means, Ishan Kishan goes to the mega auction. Expect him to go big!
— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) January 17, 2022
Hailing from Gujarat, Pandya might well act as a great brand for the franchise, coupled with a reputation that cannot be ignored. However, struggling with form and a prolonged injury concern, the former Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder is far from his lethal best. He played as a liability for the whole of the last season for MI, scoring at an average of mere 14.11 in 11 innings, while not bowling at all.
On the other hand, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) management had raised quite a many eyebrows when Rashid Khan was not retained by them as the latter reportedly had an issue with Kane Williamson being retained as their first pick. Rashid’s addition in the side before the mega auction, has perhaps come as a huge blessing for the debutant franchise.
Shubman Gill, has been picked as the franchise’s third draft player, after catching plenty eyeballs with some impressive and notable performances for KKR in the past three seasons of the league.
How much will Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, and Shubman Gill be paid?
Both the new teams were supposed to pick their three draft players within a INR 33 Crore cap; INR 15 Crore, INR 11 Crore, and INR 7 Crore for the first, second, and third draft players respectively.
However, as per EspnCricinfo, Ahmedabad have decided to pay both Hardik and Rashid the same amount – INR 15 crore, while Gill has been negotiated at a price of INR 7 Crore.
