The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 final will be played between the two of the most consistent teams in the 15th edition of the tournament. The new entrants, Gujarat Titans, have reached the summit clash in their maiden season against the inaugural 2008 IPL champions Rajasthan Royals in their first final in 14 years. The Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans finished the league stage with the most number of wins – 10.
Under the captaincy of Sanju Samson, RR finished second with nine wins. The occasion is all the more special for RR management, as this year in March their first captain Shane Warne – who led the team to a triumph in 2008 – died due to a suspected heart attack.
Talking about the final during a recent chat with Sportskeeda, Shoaib Akhtar said, “There was a dull moment in IPL. After that, there was fierce competition. One team came back into the final after 14 years. Must remember Shane Warne. Bhajji’s favorite, my favorite, our dear friend. Andrew Symonds, we dearly miss him. In memory of Shane Warne, Rajasthan go out there and smash the hell out of Gujarat for Shane Warne.”
ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma And Suryakumar Yadav Confident Of MI Winning Trophy In 2023
Harbhajan Singh, who was present at the discussion, added how Yuzvendra Chahal’s performance will increase the chance of RR. So far, the leg-spinner has taken 26 wickets in 16 matches for the Royals.
Describing the same, Harbhajan Singh said, “He is Jos Buttler in the bowling department. He has won matches on his own. he is a single bowler in the IPL, who is bowling like a spinner. He is bowling slow, enticing the batters to go after him but coming out of the crease. His googly has also been effective. He is playing with the batsman’s mind. he has been a champion in chess too but in this game he has outdone a game of chess too.”
ALSO READ: Moeen Ali To Come Out Fo test Retirement Under Brendon McCullum?
He concluded, “He has done well against left-handers too. Be it any ground, small or large, it does not really matter to him. He has that confidence. he is bowling like a spinner. There are many other spinners in this IPL, but they just come running and bowl fast. They don’t spin the ball. Spinners are supposed to spin the ball that’s where you will get used.”
