Gujarat Titans will be without the services of Australian keeper-batter Matthew Wade for at least the 1st match of IPL 2024 as he has expressed his willingness to feature in the Sheffield Shield final. With the Shield final involving Tasmania to take place from March 21st-March 25th, the veteran will likely miss the Titans' first game against the Mumbai Indians.
The Titans play their first game against the Mumbai Indians on March 25th and Wade is likely to miss that clash. The 2022 edition's title winners will lock horns with the Chennai Super Kings on March 27th and the Tasmanian's presence remains tight for that game.
Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan remains thrilled to have Wade in their ranks for the final and hopes to see Tasmania win the season. Vaughan told reporters, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"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."
Matthew Wade's performances for the Gujarat Titans:
The 36-year-old bagged an IPL contract ahead of the 2022 edition for the first time since 2011. However, the Aussie keeper-batter did not have the most auspicious start, managing only 157 runs in 15 matches at 15.70.
The Titans, nevertheless, bagged the crown that year by beating the Rajasthan Royals in the final.
