Gujarat Titans stared their journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL) a couple of years ago on a high winning the trophy in their first season itself. To top it up, they made it to the final as well last year only to lose to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on the last ball. But ahead of IPL 2024, things aren't looking great for them. Mohammed Shami has already been ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury and now their overseas recruit Matthew Wade is unavailable for them at least for their opening game.
Tasmania have made it to the final of the Australia's red-ball domestic tournament Sheffield Shield and the title clash is set to be played from March 21 to 25. Wade has decided to stay back and play the final thereby missing out on a chance to appear for his IPL team in their opening game. The Titans are slated to their first game of the season on March 24 against Mumbai Indians. It is expected to be a classic encounter given the fact that the GT's captain last year Hardik Pandya was traded to MI and will lead them this season.
Moreover, Wade's chances of making it to the second game for the Titans are also slim. If the Shield final goes into the fourth or fifth day, the left-hander is unlikely to reach in time for GT's second game against CSK on March 26. Wade has informed Gujarat Titans of the same and the franchise has accepted his request to stay back for the final.
"He's spoken with his IPL franchise and they're happy to allow him to stay here, which probably equates to him potentially missing their first game. We feel very fortunate to have someone of Matt's ilk coming back into our group, and his experience and his performances at the back end of our season," Tasmania head coach Jeff Vaughan said. Interestingly, Wade might not be part of the playing XI at the start with only four overseas players allowed.
