CRICKET POLL

Gujarat Titans have a new owner with Torrent Group taking control, but inside the franchise, it's business as usual. Whether due to lack of time or lack of necessity, the same personnel continue to run the show - both on and off the field. On the pitch, of course, the Shubman Gill-led side is soaring high in IPL 18.

"This was a long-run process that went on for almost six months and finally culminated in the successful transfer of majority stake to Torrent Group from CVC towards the middle of March. In all fairness, we have not yet sat down collectively with the new ownership as to how we want to function going ahead. But it is very obvious that GT will continue to function the way it has been functioning for the last three years. At the moment, there is no change, nothing," said Arvinder Singh, the COO.

"Let's see once the season is over and we, hopefully, successfully, make it to the playoffs and more. And, you know, thereafter we will sit and see how we're going to be working together with the new ownership. That is something that is yet to happen. I don't foresee any major changes happening because people are very clear."

Ahmedabad-based Torrent Group, led by Jinal Mehta, has acquired the franchise at an astronomical valuation of approximately Rs 7,522 crore, securing a controlling 67 per cent stake for Rs 5,035 crore - one of the biggest transactions in IPL history. One reason for such a high valuation is the franchise's base - the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of 1.3 lakh. While filling such a colosseum is a challenge, the management remains focused on achieving what it calls 'customer satisfaction'.

"Commonly, it is said that in India, it's very difficult to get a good, proper stadium experience. But I will only urge people to visit our stadium and see whether that statement is true at all in Ahmedabad. We pride ourselves in what we do for the customers and for the fans who come and watch our games. And we try to ensure that everything is in place for them," Singh says.

On the field, the team has enjoyed a fair degree of success in its four seasons - winning the title once, finishing runners-up once, and in contention for a playoff berth this season. The management believes this success has earned them the loyalty of Gujaratis, who lacked a consistent representation in the IPL for the first 14 years, barring a brief two-season period when Gujarat Lions were on-boarded in the IPL temporarily.

"It's not just Gujaratis in India, it's Gujaratis all over the world. Our clear thinking has been that yes, we are Gujarat Titans and we definitely want to have a Gujarati identity with us. There's been clear thinking right from the very beginning as to what Gujarat Titans is going to mean to anybody. Even from a cultural perspective, we have always tried to put the fan ahead of anything else when it comes to anything GT," Singh explains. "We don't look at it from in to out but out to in."

The GT official also is very clear that the fans have embraced Shubman Gill, who took over as the captain from Hardik Pandya, who hails from the State. "You can already see the difference between last year when he just started out and this year. Everybody is talking about how well he is in control of the on-ground activities that happen during the game. And obviously, off it as well.

"These are very good signs. We all know that, I mean, Shubman is not somebody who is going to be restricted to leading only GT. He has got bigger things coming his way, as all of you know. So in all fairness, eventually it's all going to be good for us as well as the franchise. We are very proud of the fact that Shubman is captaining this side. And he has come of age this year. It's only going to keep getting better as we go along."