CHENNAI: After a three-year association with Punjab Kings, big-hitting Tamil Nadu batter
Shahrukh Khan
will embark on a new IPL journey at Gujarat Titans, who paid a hefty fee of Rs 7.4 cr to task him with finishing duties.
At the auction in Dubai on Tuesday, the IPL 2022 champions Gujarat showed great interest in the 28-year-old, winning a bidding battle that also involved Punjab.
Shahrukh will have the company of seasoned campaigners
David Miller
and
Rahul Tewatia
during the death overs. Gujarat needed a hard-hitting Indian middle-order batter after
Hardik Pandya
left and Shahrukh fitted the bill.
"The way Gujarat have backed players, I will be comfortable. I will be playing at No. 6 or 7. I have been a fan of Miller; he is a guy who comes in and wins big games. The way he has played for South Africa and GT… he is calm under pressure and that is what I will try to emulate," said Shahrukh after having a big payday.
Shahrukh also said that he is prepared to perform any role that is asked of him in the upcoming season. His transformation into a genuine allrounder meant that he was a hot property at the auction - he finished as the highest wicket-taker of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2023 while leading Kovai Kings to the title.
"
Dinesh Karthik
used me as a finisher for the first time at TN. He told me that finishers cannot look at their individual scores. I think that batting at No. 5 or 6 will be great, but I am ready for any role. In the TNPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, I have played up the order. I have been bowling well in the TNPL and that can be an add-on," said Shahrukh.
Shahrukh, who was picked up by Punjab for Rs 9 cr at the IPL 2022 auction, has shown flashes of brilliance and is yet to set the tournament alight. Talking about the areas of his game that he has been concentrating on, Shahrukh said: "When I came in, I struggled facing bowlers who bowled 140 kms per hour. I have been working on that. I have also been working on playing left-arm spinners and leg-spinners better."
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