Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra said that the Gujarat Titans (GT) will target Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the IPL 2025 auction. He added that the franchise might be willing to spend ₹8 crore to acquire him as well. The Titans spent ₹51 crore to retain five players – Rashid Khan (₹18 crore), Shubman Gill (₹16.50 crore), Sai Sudharsan (₹8.50 crore), Rahul Tewatia (₹4 crore) and Shahrukh Khan (₹4 crore) – ahead of the auction. And, they have a remaining purse of ₹69 crore to assemble the rest of the squad as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “They might save the Right To Match card for Shami but it can be used on Noor Ahmad or David Miller as well. I feel they will go after Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I see Bhuvneshwar Kumar going to this team. They might go till ₹5 crore to ₹7 crore, and I won’t be surprised even if they spend ₹8 crore,” he said.
ALSO READ: “Shubman’s captaincy is very good” – Ravi Bishnoi on Shubman Gill
“On this pitch, where Mohammed Shami under lights has been outstanding and they missed him, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the same skills. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is 34 years old and has three quality years left. So I think he could be the guy. They have even played Umesh Yadav. They will definitely try to bring Noor Ahmad with them,” he added again.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also stated that the Gujarat Titans might want a wicketkeeper-batter who plays slightly conservatively as well. However, he again added that they might go for one among Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jos Buttler to be with Shubman Gill at the top of the order as well.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya shares happiness after winning back the love of fans
“They need a wicketkeeper-batter who can play slightly cautiously because the pitches here (in Ahmedabad) help the ball to move a little. Under lights, it is a very different surface. However, since Shubman Gill bats with a different template, it could be in their mind if they could get Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Jos Buttler at the other end. Will they go towards Ishan Kishan? Maybe not actually. Ishan might not be that high on their radar. They could go towards KL Rahul. They will try to go towards Rishabh Pant for some time although they don’t have enough money to get him,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
