Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in the final of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This mega clash final was being played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Titans were once dependent on captain Hardik Pandya to give impactful performances with bat and ball.
Captain Hardik Pandya didn’t disappoint anybody. He led from the front in the final of the ongoing season of IPL. While bowling first, Hardik picked three crucial wickets of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer. Hardik came clutch in the final and bowled with great pace. In his spell, he gave away just 17 runs.
While chasing the target of 131 runs, Gujarat Titans didn’t get a good start. They lost the early wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade. Gujarat was dependent on Hardik to take them out of this trouble once again. Hardik played a mature knock of 32 runs in 30 balls which helped Gujarat chase the target successfully.
Fans were pretty much impressed with the batting, bowling and captaincy of Hardik Pandya this season. He played at No4 in most of the matches and played several impactful knocks. He also provided Gujarat with several breakthroughs with the ball. Hardik was also spot on with his captaincy.
Here is how fans reacted:
By the way, Hardik Pandya is gold for any team once he’s fit to bowl.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) 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
GT @gujarat_titans showed us what it takes to win the world's toughest T20 championship.Being debutants, they never let the pressure affect their superlative performance. Great leadership from @hardikpandya7 &
many congratulations to @Gary_Kirsten #AshishNehra. Enjoy the trophy!— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) 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
Feels like a real coming of age tournament for Hardik Pandya. Exciting to see how he pushes on from here.
— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) May 29, 2022
Hardik Pandya waking up in Ahmedabad tomorrow 😄 #GTvsRR #IPLFinal #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/5AG8BXRRTO
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 29, 2022
Everytime #RR look to break free, Hardik finds an over for Rashid. He is controlling the bowling so well
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 29, 2022
A fit Hardik Pandya, scoring runs, picking up wickets bowling at good pace and leading his team to an IPL title in its first season is super news for Indian cricket. Well done, @hardikpandya7 and congratulations @gujarat_titans! #IPLFinal #IPL2022
— S. Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) May 29, 2022
Hardik has been just brilliant through out the season in al departments bowling batting feilding n his captaincy 💥💯#AavaDe #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/iScZG3SKpf
— viren oswal🇮🇳 (@OswalViren) May 29, 2022
Man Hardik won it single handedly for GT, took all the 3 pillars of RR – Jos, Ganju, Hettie 🔥🔥👏👏
What a player ice cold temperament.
— v. (@v1mal7) May 29, 2022
Hardik is a really good pacer for someone who started pace bowling at 17-18 years of age.
At one point, he was India's 3rd best seamer in limited overs.
Seam, swings both ways, sharp bouncer, good variations but fitness ruined everything.— ∆nkit🏏 (@CaughtAtGully) May 29, 2022
Hardik Pandya clutch bowling in big match. Practice for 2023 WC final.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) May 29, 2022
Hardik Pandya has the second best bowling figures in the IPL Finals as a captain.
A comeback to mark and remember by Hardik, in the biggest match of the season he steps up and does his job tremendously. pic.twitter.com/7PL9q0QHk2
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 29, 2022
What a bowling from Hardik Pandya
Imagine comparing this don with any other all-rounder in this country.— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) May 29, 2022
“We wanted to be tight and create pressure” – Rashid Khan reveals plan for Jos Buttler
After electing to bat first, Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a good start to Rajasthan in the powerplay. Buttler played a scratchy inning of 39 runs in 35 balls. Captain Sanju Samson also couldn’t contribute much and scored just 14 runs.
Hardik Pandya chipped in with wickets at regular intervals which helped Gujarat to restrict Rajasthan to 130 runs. Rashid Khan in a mid-innings interview revealed his plan against the Orange Cap winner Jos Buttler. He said:
“The wicket was pretty good to bowl, we bowled the right areas which was always important. I knew that the wicket was helping me and just bowled the right areas. I don’t have too many plans, just keep it simple for him (Buttler), if he goes after me, the chances of me getting his wicket is higher. We just wanted to be tight and put the pressure on him.”
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