The Titans won the Indian Premier League 2022 final in comprehensive fashion, beating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets.
GT were crowned champions in their debut season. The underdogs heading into the tournament bested all odds to lift the trophy.
Prior to the tournament, they were considered one of the weakest teams in the league, but they managed to prove their critics wrong. They comfortably clinched the title, only losing four out of the sixteen games they played.
Skipper Hardik Pandya was outstanding in the final, as he has been throughout the tournament, both in terms of his leadership and game. He picked up three wickets in an outstanding spell and also scored 30 crucial runs in the chase. Rajasthan, however, will be gutted with their display, especially in the batting department.
Their batting order was left exposed when it mattered the most. Their bowlers did put in a good showing in the early part of the second innings, but they barely had anything to defend and, in the end, were forced to accept their fate.
Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson won the all-important toss, only his fourth in the tournament, and decided to bat first. It was a peculiar decision from the Royals captain, who had only a day earlier chased down a paltry target against the RCB at the same venue.
They did not get off to the best of starts either. Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to get a single shot away. The young southpaw finally got off the blocks after facing seven deliveries, following which he played a few big shots before departing for 22.
It was a case of complete failure in the Rajasthan middle order. Samson also failed on the big day, falling for 14. Devdutt Padikkal had a torrid time in the middle, as he was only able to score two runs in ten deliveries before walking back to the pavilion.
Hardik and Rashid Khan were bowling spectacularly. Immediately after Padikkal’s dismissal, Pandya removed the big fish Jos Buttler, who had already got his eye in.
The Englishman’s dismissal was a massive blow to the Royals, who lost both R Ashwin and Shimron Hetmyer in successive overs, putting their side in deep trouble. There wasn’t much anyone could do about the Rajasthan innings, which eventually ended on 130/9.
The Titans would have gladly taken a target of 131 before the toss, something that Khan also admitted post the completion of the match. The chase started off on a dramatic note, as Shubman Gill was dropped on zero by Yuzvendra Chahal.
Wriddhiman Saha did not have any reprieves as the Bengal keeper suffered a rare failure, getting cleaned up off a ripper of a delivery from Prasidh Krishna. Matthew Wade did have a decent start, but could not stick around for long, and the pressure suddenly mounted on the Titans.
Nevertheless, Hardik took the responsibility in the pressure game, walking in a tricky period. Both Gill and Pandya did a fantastic job of dealing with the environment. The Royals were bowling extremely well, but GT managed to hold their own before they cut loose.
Pandya departed after a captain’s knock of 30 invaluable runs in the final after the job had been more or less finished. David Miller came into the middle next. The South African calmly took them towards the finish line before Gill did the honours, smashing a huge six over square leg to win the Titans their maiden IPL trophy in their very first season.
Brief scores
Gujarat Titans 133 for 3 (Gill 45*, Hardik 34, Boult 1-14) beat Rajasthan Royals 130 for 9 (Buttler 39, Hardik 3-17, Sai Kishore 2-20) by seven wickets
