Gujarat Titans thrashed Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 to lift the title. The Titans also became the second team after the Royals to win the title in their inaugural season.
Chasing 131, the Titans crossed the finishing line in the 19th over. Shubman Gill was the top-scorer for the IPL champions after playing an unbeaten knock of 45. The debutants were off to a poor start. Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Matthew Wade (8) could not get going, leaving their team reeling at 23 for 2 in the 5th over.
But before the Royals could inflict further damage, Gill and Hardik Pandya steadied the ship. The duo shared a crucial 63-run stand for the third wicket to put Titans in control.
Yuzvendra Chahal broke the stand by dismissing Pandya for 34. And while Gill and Pandya steadied the ship, the team was still struggling to score quickly before David Miller arrived.
The in-form batsman played a quickfire knock of 32 off just 19 balls while sharing an unbeaten stand of 46 runs with Gill to seal the game. The match ended on the first ball of the 19th over when Gill hit Obed McCoy for a six.
"???? ???? ?? ???? ????" ? https://t.co/uyUKUHA6QZ
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 29, 2022
Titans restrict Royals to a modest total:
Earlier in the game, Titans did well to restrict high-flying Royals to a modest total of 130 for 9. The Royals had entered the final after an impressive batting display in the second qualifier.
However, they could not sustain the momentum with the bat in the title-decider. Jos Buttler, who had scored a century in the second qualifier, could not get going in the final. The England superstar scored 39 but used 35 balls for it.
Buttler was the top-scorer for his team. The likes of Sanju Samson (14), Devdutt Padikkal (2) and Shimron Hetmyer (11) failed to deliver too as the Royals posted an under par score in the final.
For the Titans, their skipper Hardik Pandya was the star of the show with the ball. Leading from the front, Pandya picked up 3 wickets while giving away just 17 runs off his 4 overs. Rashid Khan also put up a good show, conceding just 18 off his 4 while picking up 1 wicket.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the final of IPL 2022:
https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1530976445119406082
Mocked for not having a strong team on paper at the begining of IPL
Surprised everyone with their performance and won the IPL.
Gujarat Titans have taught all of us an important lesson of life. #GTvsRR #TATAIPL 2022 pic.twitter.com/2sm2VLmARC
— Amit Mishra (@MishiAmit) 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
Good bowling changes, good field placement and great execution of plans.
Hardik Pandya is turning out to be a great captain in this year’s IPL. #GTvsRR #TATAIPL2022 pic.twitter.com/LjAj2gz63i
— Amit Mishra (@MishiAmit) May 29, 2022
Talk about leading from the front. How good was @hardikpandya7 today. Fantastic #TataIPL #TataIPLFinal #RRvGT
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) 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
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
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
Gujarat Titans have done it… Not being expert's favourites before the start, were rated as the weakest team on paper. Tonight they've beaten all the odds and grabbed the IPL trophy.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 29, 2022
https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/1530974172691968000
Remember The Titans!
Congratulations @hardikpandya7 and @gujarat_titans ???? #IPLFinals pic.twitter.com/bneB3NChzF— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 29, 2022
When a guy with pen and paper defeats you pic.twitter.com/0fL9GCa4Eb
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) May 29, 2022
No, this was not the @rajasthanroyals script for the @IPL Final, but an epic bowling display by @gujarat_titans @hardikpandya7 @rashidkhan_19#GujaratTitans on their way on an historic day for the new franchise.
— Alan Wilkins (@alanwilkins22) May 29, 2022
This proves without Buttler RR is a pack of cards. RCB was unlucky.
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) May 29, 2022