Gujarat Titans COO reveals franchise was close to losing Mohammed Shami in addition to Hardik Pandya

Ahead of the next IPL season, Hardik Pandya, who captained the Gujarat Titans to a title in 2022 and took the team to the final this year, made the decision to rejoin his former team, the Mumbai Indians.

On the deadline day for player retention, Gujarat Titans first declared that Hardik Pandya will stay, but later Indian all-round player was traded to the Mumbai Indians for cash.

Gujarat Titans COO reveals 'wrong approach'

As per reports, it appears that more players than just Hardik Pandya were courted to leave the Titans. Arvinder Singh, the COO of the Gujarat Titans, claims that a team also contacted star pacer Mohammed Shami to join them for the next year's IPL.

He claimed that, in violation of IPL and BCCI protocol, a different team made direct contact with Mohammed Shami regarding a transfer. The GT COO charged another franchise with using unfair business practices in an interview with News18.

"It's wrong to contact players directly for an IPL trade," he said. “Teams ought to adhere to the guidelines established by the BCCI and IPL,” he added.

Shubman Gill named skipper of Gujarat Titans

Once Hardik Pandya Pandya's exit was sure, GT team management was looking for their new skipper and 24-year-old opener Shubman Gill became an obvious captaincy choice, having got the coveted 'orange cap' in the last season with 890 runs, second to only Virat Kohli's all-time record of 973.

Having collaborated closely with Gill, Solanki attested to his maturity.

"Over the past two years, Shubman Gill has demonstrated growth in stature and status at the highest level of the game. In cricket, we've watched him develop as a leader as well as a hitter," Solanki said.