Josh Little excited to play under Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya and work with Ashish Nehra in IPL 2023

Ireland left-arm pacer Josh Little stated that he is excited to play under Hardik Pandya and work with Ashish Nehra after Gujarat Titans added him to their squad at the IPL 2023 mini-auction.

The 23-year-old on Friday became the first player from Ireland to bag an IPL contract as the reigning champions Gujarat Titans bought him for INR 4.4 crores in a one-day auction in Kochi. A bidding war broke out between Lucknow Supergiants and Gujarat Titans for Little, whose base price was INR 50 lakh. The Titans eventually acquired his services.

“I’m delighted to have been signed by the defending champions, the Gujarat Titans, and look forward to playing under Hardik Pandya within such a high quality squad. I’m also looking forward to working with coach Ashish Nehra and would like to thank the management team at the Titans for believing in me,” Little said in a Cricket Ireland statement.

“I have loved playing international cricket for Ireland – and that will always remain my priority, but to be able to learn and play in the IPL will be an incredible opportunity and thanks to Cricket Ireland for supporting me in this.”

Little made his international debut in 2016. He has since played 22 ODIs and 53 T20Is for Ireland. In the recent T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, Little became the sixth bowler ever to take a hat-trick in the tournament. His bowling exploits (3/22) came against New Zealand.

The left-arm pacer has also featured in the Lanka Premier League and The Hundred. Last month, Little was picked up in the Pakistan Super League draft and has been offered a deal in the SA20. Cricket Ireland clarified that Little would be issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the IPL 2023, but with one exception – three World Cup Super League ODIs against Bangladesh in May 2023.