Titans coach Ashish Nehra has tipped Shahrukh Khan to be one of the key players for the side during this year’s IPL.
PBKS went back to try and get the Tamil Nadu batter for a cheaper cost than the 9 crores they paid for him in 2022, but GT came in to the hunt for him.
The Titans finally got him for 7.4 crores and Nehra has big plans for the big-hitter.
Speaking to the media, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, the GT coach was asked who would play the finisher role for the team this year. Nehra suggested that Shahrukh will be the ‘main actor’ for his side in that department.
Nehra said that every player in the side would be important and tipped new buys Spencer Johnson and Azmatullah Omarzai to make an impact this season.
“We’re going to see Shahrukh Khan become the main actor,” Nehra said when answering a question about the finishers in the squad, “IPL is a very long tournament. It’s not like we’re playing just three, four, five matches. Conditions are also difficult in May and June. It will be hard on the players, especially fast bowlers. Injuries can also happen. So every player we have is important and those we have are experienced. Spencer Johnson, if you see, wherever he’s played, he’s played well. Azmatullah Omarzai again, he has all the skills in this world as an allrounder and we are very hopeful that they’ll have a great IPL.”
How well did Shahrukh Khan perform in IPL 2024?
After exploding on to the scene in 2021, Shahrukh had found the last two seasons to be tough with PBKS. Last season, while he did have a good strike-rate of 165.96, the TN batter scored just 156 runs in 14 matches.
Shahrukh is expected to be one of the players who would be used to fill the void left by Hardik Pandya in the batting order. GT will start their campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 24.
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