IPL 2023: Joshua Little Set to Miss Three Games

Gujarat Titans (GT) overseas recruit Joshua Little has left the team’s camp to represent the Ireland squad in the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. The series begins on May 9 and will take place in the United Kingdom. Little’s departure followed his participation in the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur before returning to Ireland for national duty.

As Little has been named in Ireland’s full-strength squad for the ODI series, he is likely to miss at least three IPL 2023 season games. The ODI series is critical for Ireland as they need to achieve a whitewash to qualify automatically for the World Cup in India later this year. Failure to do so will require them to participate in the qualifier in Zimbabwe. Little’s inclusion in the attack is expected to improve Ireland’s chances of achieving a whitewash. Vikram Solanki, the Director of Cricket for Gujarat Titans, confirmed that Little will return to India and rejoin the GT squad after the conclusion of the ODI series on May 14.

“We wish Josh (Little) the best as he heads back to represent Ireland in the ODIs. He has had a good run in his first Tata Indian Premier League and we look forward to welcoming him back once he finishes the ODI series,” said Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket, Gujarat Titans.

IPL 2023: Little to Be Available for Playoffs

Little, who made history as the first Irish cricketer to feature in the IPL, was acquired by the Titans for a whopping sum of INR 4.4 crores in the auction. Despite being a regular member of the playing XI, his departure to represent Ireland in the ODI series against Bangladesh comes as a major setback for the current table-toppers. In eight games this season, Little has managed to claim six wickets with a commendable economy rate of 8.20. It is noteworthy that he often bowls during the powerplay and death overs.

GT has been having a sensational run this season with seven wins in 11 games, and the Hardik Pandya-led team is on track for a playoff spot. They are set to play against Lucknow Super Giants in their next game of the ongoing IPL 2023, hoping to continue their impressive performance.

GT’s Squad for the game against LSG: Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel