Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans. (Photo Source: IPL)
Defending champions Gujarat Titans once again managed to qualify for the IPL playoffs after being the most consistent team in the tournament. The Hardik Pandya-led side has all the bases covered and courtesy of which, they have managed to emerge as one of the powerhouses of the competition. Former cricketer Shaun Pollock is heavily impressed with that and branded them the ‘Manchester City of India’. Notably, the English football club is very consistent in the Premier League and thus, Pollock drew similarities based on their consistency.
In IPL 2023, Gujarat finished at the top of the points table, securing 10 wins in 14 matches in the league stage. With that, they have qualified for the playoffs and will be taking on four-time champions Chennai Super Kings next on May 23. If they manage to win against the MS Dhoni-led side, Gujarat will qualify for yet another final while if they lose, they will move to Qualifier 2 and will have another opportunity to make it to the finals.
Pollock thus lauded them for their brilliant brand of cricket but also pointed out that the reality can hit them soon. The former South Africa skipper mentioned that the Hardik Pandya-led side played without any pressure for the majority part of the tournament but in the playoffs, they might feel the heat. Thus, he wants the team to be careful at the business end of the tournament.
“We’ll probably have to call them the Manchester City of the IPL at the moment. Look at the net run rate, plus 0.8. Not only have they been winning, but they’ve been winning in style. They must go in with a lot of confidence. I mean it’s always a difficult part of the tournament now. You think over the last ten days they’ve already qualified for the first playoff game and they haven’t really had to deal with pressure.
Then all of a sudden you go back and you go do or die. Not in the first game, but obviously in the second. So at some stage, they have to face the reality that they could get knocked out,” Pollock mentioned while talking to Cricbuzz.