Ashish Nehra, Vikram Solanki to be sacked after ownership change at Gujarat Titans? Report reveals

Head coach Ashish Nehra is set to remain with the Gujarat Titans (GT) despite rumors of an ownership change before the IPL 2025 season, as per Cricbuzz. Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki, the director of cricket, have survived for the season amid concerns about a major shake-up in the coaching staff.

Nehra was appointed the head coach of the Gujarat Titans before their debut IPL season. The former cricketer led the team to victory by defeating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2022 final. The Titans also made it to the finals again but were unable to beat MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The Ahmedabad-based franchise almost defended their title in IPL 2023. However, CSK's Ravindra Jadeja scored a six and a four off the last two balls of the match. Hardik Pandya, who led the team in the first two seasons, was traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) before the IPL 2024 mini auction last year.

In the most recent season, the Gujarat Titans faced challenges after Hardik's departure and finished eighth in the points table. Shubman Gill took over as captain, but the team struggled to maintain the right balance. The absence of Mohammed Shami due to injury further impacted their performance.

Ashish Nehra, Vikram Solanki To Continue With Gujarat Titans - Report

Ashish Nehra will fulfill his contract with the Gujarat Titans, which was signed for three years after GT's debut season. Nehra and Vikram Solanki will continue in their roles for the next season. Both coaches had their contracts renegotiated after the team's strong performance in their inaugural season.

They could be among the highest-paid coaching staff in the Indian Premier League, with salaries approaching a million dollars, or about Rs 8 crore.

According to Cricbuzz, the Gujarat Titans' board, consisting of key executives from CVC Capital - a global private equity firm - including London-based Nick Clarry, Singapore-based Siddharth Patel, and Mumbai-based Amit Soni, recently reviewed the team's performance. They have decided to retain head coach Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki for the upcoming season.

"The board has decided to continue with the duo. Nehra, who was previously a regular feature on live television during Titans' matches, was conspicuously absent from TV coverage last season, apparently for having rubbed certain influential people the wrong way,” a report by Cricbuzz said.

The Titans have also decided to retain the coaching staff, including assistant coaches Aashish Kapoor, Mithun Manhas, Narendra Negi, and Naeem Amin, as well as performance analyst Sandeep Raju.

However, the team will need to find a replacement for Gary Kirsten, who recently left his role as batting coach and mentor to become the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team after the 2024 season.

The situation regarding the potential management change and Torrent Pharma's rumored acquisition of the franchise remains uncertain, as there has been no official communication to the BCCI. Any ownership change cannot occur until after the current three-year lock-in period expires in February 2025.

Also read: Mumbai Indians set to retain both Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya? Fresh report reveals