Former Indian cricketer and Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel has said that Shubman Gill's move to step down and accept the franchise's second retention shows that he is a true leader. It was reported that the star Indian batter accepted the pay cut to ensure the Titans had enough purse for the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League mega auction, Gill decided to take a pay cut to become the franchise's second-retained player, behind star spinner Rashid Khan.
Gill was retained for Rs 16.5 crore while Rashid for Rs 18 crore, making the latter the first retention and the skipper the second.
The 25 for 2025 💙#AavaDe | #TATAIPLAuction | #TATAIPLpic.twitter.com/OrwH5aCx8a
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) November 25, 2024
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"It happened before I joined the team. But looking from outside and now after joining the team we needed someone who thinks about it and Shubman has done that, credit to him," Parthiv said while speaking to the media during a virtual interaction.
"It would have been straightforward to say (otherwise), he's done the right thing and goes to show that he is the leader and shows his character," Parthiv added.
The Titans bagged 20 players in the auction that ended on Monday, buying Jos Buttler for a whopping Rs 15.75 crore. Parthiv said that the Buttler was the ideal fit for the role of the wicketkeeper-batter they were searching for.
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"We needed a wicketkeeper and a player who is experienced. Also, someone who can bat at Nos 1-4 anywhere and Jos fulfils this role. He has been in T20 cricket for so long. He is one of the leaders of the team," Parthiv said.
In other notable buys, the Titans acquired the services of South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada for Rs 10.75 crore, Mohammed Siraj for Rs 12.25 crore, Prasidh Krishna for Rs 9.5 crore and Mahipal Lomror for Rs 1.7 crore.