In the IPL opener between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans, Kane Williamson injured himself while stopping a six at the boundary. The Kiwi white-ball skipper has a history with his knee and now, he has been ruled out of IPL 2023. It is a massive blow for the Titans, who were relying on him to be the fulcrum of the batting unit. On that note, here, we take a look at two players who could replace Kane Williamson for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023.
1) Dasun Shanaka
On Indian pitches, Dasun Shanaka has delivered whenever he has got a chance. There has been talk of him joining an IPL franchise but that has not happened till now.
With Sai Sudharsan performing well, GT may not need an option at No.3. Instead, they could strengthen their lower middle-order by having someone like Shanaka. Apart from helping the team finish games with the bat, he can also provide a few overs with the ball. This could also ease things for Hardik Pandya, who has multiple responsibilities. Shanaka would also help Hardik in the leadership group.
2) Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis is one of the players who could replace Kane Williamson for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper is an opener and would give an additional choice for the Titans at the top of the order.
Wriddhiman Saha is currently the keeper of the squad but may not be reliable for the entire tournament. KS Bharat has not played IPL cricket for a while and Matthew Wade might have some issues on Indian pitches. It does make sense to have another option and Kusal is certainly a decent choice. He would be an attacking option alongside Shubman Gill, which would allow the latter to be more expressive after taking some time at the start of an inning.
