Hardik Pandya, David Miller have newcomers Gujarat flying high in IPL

Surprise-packages Gujarat Titans have taken the IPL by storm in their debut season with a cleverly assembled and astutely coached team led by the all-round talents of local star Hardik Pandya.

Founded by global venture fund CVC Capital for $690 million, Gujarat on Sunday stunned four-time champions Chennai Super Kings to sit atop the 10-team standings of the money-spinning Twenty20 tournament.

Their batting has exceeded expectations with Hardik and South Africa's David Miller leading the way with stellar performances in the early half of the season.

Gujarat-born Hardik has excelled with both bat and ball, accumulating 228 runs in five matches and claiming four wickets during economical pace-bowling spells.

Miller has scored 193 runs at an average of 96.50.

Top IPL run-scorers

The team also shone in Hardik's injury-enforced absence, their stunning three-wicket win over Chennai coming off the back of an unbeaten 94 by Miller and a batting blitz by stand-in skipper Rashid Khan.

READ | David Miller's 94 powers Gujarat to sensational IPL win

A Killer Miller special at Pune ??A nail-biting last over finish ??Mr. Quick Lockie Ferguson speaks to Maverick @DavidMillerSA12 post @gujarat_titans' brilliant win over #CSK. ?? ?? - By @Moulinparikh Full interview ?? ?? #TATAIPL | #GTvCSK https://t.co/4WeX8aCkH0 pic.twitter.com/TXEPkcr2wR

"The team has been selected well, led well and coached well. You can see they picked the kind of players they wanted and got the kind of balance they wanted," sports journalist Sharda Ugra told AFP.

"And in the choice of Hardik Pandya, he was picked as a kind of symbolic representative of cricket in Gujarat. He carries the aura of a superstar."

Gujarat netted the 28-year-old Hardik and Rashid for $2.08 million