IPL 2023: Irfan Pathan jolts down three reasons which gives Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans an edge

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan listed three reasons which will give Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans an edge over the remaining nine teams in the IPL 2023. Gujarat are the current defending champions and kick off their campaign against four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023-opener on Friday.

Speaking to Star Sports, the official TV broadcasters of IPL 2023, the cricketer-turned-commentator mentioned that Gujarat's title win in their maiden IPL campaign last year will give them a major confidence going into the sixteenth edition of the cash-rich league.

The fact that Hardik is currently leading India's T20I team will further raise the confidence of the Gujarat captain according to Irfan. Rashid Khan's presence in the Gujarat Titans line-up is the third reason which will give the Ahmedabad-based franchise an edge, the 38-year-old has reckoned.

“First of all the confidence from the previous edition as they played like a champion side and won the trophy. Second, Hardik Pandya, as he's also leading India. This gives him an extra mental boost. And thirdly, Rashid Khan, who is always a key to success for any team in this format," Irfan said.

Gujarat have also acquired the services of former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Kane Williamson this year. The franchise bought the New Zealand star for Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2023 auction. Odean Smith and Ireland's Joshua Little are the other two foreign stars inducted by Gujarat for this season.

Left-arm pacer Little fetched Rs 4.40 crore in the auction ahead of the upcoming season. Shivam Mavi, KS Bharat and Mohit Sharma are other major names who have joined the champion team for the IPL 2023.

Gujarat Titans Squad For IPL 2023: Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudarshan, KS Bharat, Urvil Patel, Hardik Pandya (captain), Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Noor Ahmad, Shivam Mavi, Darshan Nalkande, Pradeep Sangwan