Indian Premier League (IPL) has got a new champion now as Gujarat Titans (GT) pulled off a fantastic win in the final of their debut season. They couldn’t have got the glory more convincingly as they registered a dominating win in the IPL 2022 final. The high-flying Rajasthan Royals (RR) never looked comfortable in the game and as a result, they suffered a crushing seven-wicket defeat. While many players contributed to GT’s stellar win, skipper Hardik Pandya came up with an all-around performance.
Earlier in the match, after winning the toss, RR skipper, Sanju Samson decided to bat first citing the scoreboard pressure in a big game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Men in Pink got off to a decent start with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler adding 31 runs for the opening wicket. However, once the former went back to the pavilion, things went south for RR.
WATCH – Lockie Ferguson Bowls The Fastest Delivery Of IPL 2022 In The Final
GT skipper Hardik Pandya churned out a match-winning spell in the middle overs and dismissed the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Shimron Hetmyer. Notably, Buttler managed to get going but when he was looking to change gear, Hardik dismissed him for 39 off 35 balls. The Royals couldn’t recover afterward as GT bowlers left no stone unturned. As a result, the inaugural-season champions were restricted to a paltry 130/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Apart from Hardik Pandya, left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore also bagged a couple of wickets. During the chase, the Titans didn’t get off to a great start either as the in-form Wriddhiman Saha perished for just five runs. Even Matthew Wade failed to get going as he was dismissed for eight as Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna were brilliant with the new ball.
However, then arrived at Hardik Pandya in the middle and he made sure that his team suffered no further hiccups in the chase. The all-rounder joined forces with Shubman Gill and the duo added 63 runs for the third wicket. It was a well-paced partnership as both batters were watchful in the initial overs but also scored boundaries at regular intervals.
WATCH – Hardik Pandya Celebrated With The Umpire After Dismissing Hetmyer
Meanwhile, some hopes ignited in the RR camp when Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Hardik for 34. However, in walked David Miller and he played another fiery knock in a crunch situation. The southpaw scored an unbeaten 32 off 19 deliveries as GT crossed the line in 18.1 overs, clinching the contest by seven wickets. Credit must also go to Shubman Gill, who remained unbeaten at 45 and finished the game with a six off Obed McCoy.
Here is the video of the highlights of the match:
Here is how the cricketing fraternity reacted to the dominating win by Gujarat Titans:
A title win for the Titans!
Undoubtedly the most consistent team of the tournament.Well played and many congratulations, @gujarat_titans! pic.twitter.com/skjRJSsKCO
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 29, 2022
Well done @gujarat_titans 🏆 . Fabulous play throughout. @hardikpandya7 you're an absolute champion ❤️❣️@rajasthanroyals you'll can be proud of yourselves . Great tournament ❤️
To every player , support staff, groundsmen, broadcasters, administrators and to all fans 12
— DK (@DineshKarthik) May 29, 2022
Every match they played they got a new hero. Stuff of dreams for a franchise playing their first season. Many congratulations @gujarat_titans! #IPLFinal pic.twitter.com/9LtuqYqpAM
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) May 29, 2022
Gujarat Titans. Ufff…what a rocket season. Hardik Pandya producing a stellar effort in the grand finale. Found different match winners in different games…what a season. 🥳👏🤩
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 29, 2022
You were so so good Gujarat titans. Played the best brand of cricket. Well done team and the support staff. @gujarat_titans
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 29, 2022
Big matches call for the big players to rise to the occasion. And no body from the Gujarat bowling outfit has disappointed .. The chase masters are chasing history but RR as good a bowling unit… This should be fun .. #IPLFinals #GTvRR
— Jatin Sapru (@jatinsapru) May 29, 2022
Party kithhe karni ae hun, Nehra ji? Garbe de naal bhangra vi karange. BIG CONGRATULATIONS @gujarat_titans CHAMPIONS #IPL2022 Commendable play throughout the tournament. Kudos to the captain @hardikpandya7 and the team 👏 👏 Great innings at the big stage @ShubmanGill 👏 pic.twitter.com/2qWmDtIwnf
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) May 29, 2022
Congrats to @gujarat_titans – the entire team and the all the management esp #vikramsolanki & #AshishNehra ! Good entry in style into the IPL. #IPLFinals
— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) May 29, 2022
What a team congratulations @gujarat_titans 🏆 ❤️👑 @IPL specially skipper @hardikpandya7 @rashidkhan_19 @ShubmanGill @MdShami11 @DavidMillerSA12 😊👏👏👏👏
— Rahul Sharma (@ImRahulSharma3) May 29, 2022
Gujrat Titans!! 🏆
Well deserved and Well Played throughout the tournament.
Hard luck to Rajasthan Royals!Kya baat hai 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻#AavaDe #GTvRR #IPLFinal #IPL2022 #IPL #GujaratTitans
— Dhawal Kulkarni (@dhawal_kulkarni) May 29, 2022
What an amazing season by @gujarat_titans. To bring together a new group of players & gel so quickly speaks volumes of great leadership on & off the field. Wonderful to see a packed house, this is what we love the most about this competition, the fans. Well done to @BCCI as well
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) May 29, 2022
Dropped on 0.. Will rue that missed easy chance which chahal dropped..30 for 3 in a low scoring chase…could have been a different proposition, might still not have won them the game but u can only do what u can do #RRvGT #IPLFinal
— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) May 29, 2022
Fantastic achievement for a new franchise … If India need a captain in a couple of years I wouldn’t look past @hardikpandya7 … Well done Gujurat .. #IPL2022
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 29, 2022
Remember The Titans!
Congratulations @hardikpandya7 and @gujarat_titans 🙌🏼👏🏽 #IPLFinals pic.twitter.com/bneB3NChzF— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 29, 2022
