Hardik Pandya Leads Gujarat Titans To Maiden IPL Trophy

Gujarat Titans defeat Rajasthan Royals to clinch maiden IPL title.

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Hardik Pandya turned out to be a perfect example of 'leading from the front' as his all-round performance helped Gujarat Titans clinch the maiden IPL title after beating Rajasthan Royals in the IPL Final 2022 played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahemdabad. 

Chasing a modest total of 130, the Royals had to pick early wickets and to their credit, Rajasthan had a promising start as they removed Wriddhiman Saha and Mathew Wade cheaply inside the powerplay and only conceded 31 runs. 

However, Pandya and Shubman Gill stitched a crucial 63-run stand for the third wicket in 53 balls that made sure the rest of the batters only had run-a-ball to chase down the target. Pandya scored 34 in 30 balls with the help of three fours and a six before Yuzvendra Chahal got him caught at slips. 

Gill continued to anchor while David Miller didn't let the game go too deep and powered his way to 32 off 19 balls. Gill finished things off in style as he pulled one for a six to clinch the title for the debutant franchise. 

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals opted to bat first but could only post 130/9 in the first inning. 

Pandya's 3/17 wrecked the Royals' batting order as he removed Jos Buttler for 39, Sanju Samson for 14, and Shimron Hetmyer for 11. With their three main batters back in the pavilion, the rest couldn't take the team to a respectable total. 

Gujarat were all over Rajasthan throughout the game and never at any moment did it look like the Titans were in some sort of trouble. They were in complete control of their bowling and in the run chase - summing up their dominant debut season as a franchise. 

Brief Scorecard: 

Rajasthan Royals - 130/9 (Jos Buttler - 39; Hardik Pandya - 3/17)
Gujarat Titans - 133/3 in 18.1 overs (Shubman Gill - 45*, Hardik Pandya - 34)