The Indian Premier League (IPL) has expanded over the years with the inclusion of new teams in the tournament. The now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) made their debut in 2016 and played for two seasons before being disbanded. Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) – also played in the IPL for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 before becoming defunct.
In 2022, two new teams were added to the IPL, making it a 10-team league. The two new teams are Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT). The Titans went on to win the IPL in their very first season.
In October 2021, the BCCI invited investors from across the world to take part in the auction for the Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises, which were unnamed at that time. A total of 22 companies showed interest, but eventually there were only six serious bidders. The RPSG Group, who owned the RPS team in 2016 and 2017, acquired LSG for a whopping Rs 7,090 crore while the Ahmedabad-bases franchise was sold to CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm for a staggering Rs 5,625 crore
All you need to know about Gujarat Titans team owners – CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is a leading global private equity and investment advisory firm which was founded in 1981. Headquartered in Luxembourg, they have invested in several global companies across various sectors. They have 25 offices globally and over 650 employees.
Some of CVC’s notable investments include Avast, an IT security company, Petco Holdings Inc. a major pet supplies retail chain, RAC, automotive rescue service provider in the UK, and luxury watch-makers Breitling SA among others. Total assets of CVC Capital Partners are said to be worth over $75 billion. CVC is reportedly set to go public in the first quarter of 2023 via an IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange.
Gujarat Titans’ title-winning journey in IPL 2022
The Titans scripted history by becoming the first debut team to win the IPL. Captained by Hardik Pandya, the side finished the league stage at the top of the points table. They then beat Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 1 to make it to the final, in which their skipper Pandya produced a magnificent all-round performance, scoring an unbeaten 60 off 37 balls and taking 3/20 in 4 overs to help the side defeat the Royals by seven wickets. Other Titans who played an important role in the final were Rahul Tewatia, who scored 32 off 16 balls and Rashid Khan, who scalped three wickets for 20 runs. Titans were awarded a cash prize of Rs 20 crore from BCCI for winning the tournament.
Gujarat Titans squad for IPL 2023
For the 2023 season, the Titans traded Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to KKR and released Dominic Drakes, Gurkeerat Singh, Jason Roy, and Varun Aaron. Going into the mini auction, they had Rs 19.25 crore in their purse, with which they signed new players like Kane Williamson (INR 2 crore), Odean Smith (INR 50 lakh), KS Bharat (INR 1.2 crore), Shivam Mavi (INR 6 crore), Urvil Patel (INR 20 lakh), Joshua Little (INR 4.4 crore), Mohit Sharma (INR 50 lakh).
The Gujarat Titans squad for IPL 2023 is as follows:
Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharshan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Mavi, Jason Roy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Anukul Roy, K. Gowtham, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Porel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jayant Yadav, Darshan Nalkande, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, and Noor Ahmad.
Gujarat Titans schedule for IPL 2023
The defending champions will kick start their campaign against four-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 31 in Ahmedabad. They are set to play a total of 14 matches in the league stage, the last of which will be played against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore on May 21.
