Assistant coach Parthiv Patel of the Gujarat Titans (GT) was pleased to secure the services of uncapped pacers Ashok Sharma and Prithvi Raj Yarra at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Auction in Abu Dhabi. He claimed that the two players complement their fast-bowling resources in different ways.
With 22 wickets in 10 games for Rajasthan, Sharma leads the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy wicket-taking records, while Yarra took 12 wickets in nine games for Andhra. The pair’s purchase by GT at the Abu Dhabi auction is a wise addition to the team’s already impressive collection of fast bowlers, which includes players like Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, and Kagiso Rabada.
For Ashok Sharma, we all felt that the Indian uncapped pace bowlers were bowling in a really outstanding manner this time. In response to an IANS question during the post-auction press conference, Parthiv stated, “Because we were watching the matches, we saw that he also took a lot of matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year, especially with the pace he was bowling.”
We therefore had the intention of adding an uncapped fast bowler to the squad. We are pleased that a young fast bowler has joined our team as a result. In a similar circumstance, Prithvi Raj Yarra had been playing first-class cricket for a considerable amount of time before suffering an injury.
However, the way he is bowling this time, particularly by offering us a variety of a lefty bowler, made us think that these two are really outstanding bowlers based on how we perceive domestic players. “We are thrilled to have them join our team,” Patel remarked.
West Indies fast-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder, who will compete with Glenn Phillips for a spot in the starting eleven, was GT’s most notable acquisition during the auction. After a protracted battle with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), GT actively pursued Holder in an attempt to enhance their overseas presence and ultimately acquired him for Rs 7 crore.
According to Patel, Holder has always been their top priority when it comes to auction preparation. He added that the team’s general makeup and style of play required the presence of an experienced all-rounder, thus he was a perfect fit.
For the past 1.5 years, we have been following Jason Holder. In T20 cricket, he has excelled. He has been outstanding wherever he has played in every league. Additionally, GT’s guiding principle is to constantly consider the experienced player. Everyone is aware of Jason Holder’s level of experience. We’ve decided to go forward with Jason Holder because he’s been around for years and, of course, an all-rounder is always a plus,” he continued.
After failing to acquire Australian pacer Ben Dwarshuis, GT’s international speed bowling capabilities were further enhanced by the arrival of England pacer Luke Wood for Rs 75 lakh. In essence, both of them are left-arm seamers with swing, which is what we required. Additionally, the outcome of the auction is contingent upon the player who arrives first.
“Neither Luke Wood nor Ben Dwarshuis were our first choices. The dynamics of the auction were similar in that we would choose the player who arrived first.
We had all the other right-arm fast bowlers, which is why Rabada was a right-arm seamer. We went to Luke Wood because we wanted a left-arm seamer and were heading toward that variant, Patel said.
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