Born to win: On Gujarat Titans’ maiden win in IPL 2022

A budding team winning the trophy is a unique sporting high. Gujarat Titans did exactly that while winning Indian Premier League (IPL) title A through clinical performance against Rajasthan Royals in front of home spectators in Ahmedabad during the final on Sunday. Summit clashes, except in rare episodes, can be dull affairs despite all the hype and the climax of the IPL ended a low-scoring clash on a dry surface. But the credit for remaining a stand-out unit through the tournament goes to Titans who were anchored in Mumbai and Pune before shifting base to Kolkata and Ahmedabad in the closing section. The league also offered some redemption for all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the captain of the Titans. Often due to injuries and comparisons with Kapil Dev, Pandya eventually turned the corner, leading the Titans smartly, scoring quick runs and dismissing valuable wickets like he had done in the finals – against Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer and the Royals. Captain Sanju Samson is dismissed. , During the long heat of IPL, Titans always had players to perform consistently without fail. In the final too, players across the cut in skill-sets and nationalities excelled, be it spinner Rashid Khan or the batsmen of Shubman Gill and David Miller, while Hardik also scored 34 runs. For the Royals, there were hopes of winning the Cup as a tribute to the team. Its first captain was the late Shane Warne.

However, the game is not entirely based on emotion and the Royals stumbled in the final stages. But there was no shame in that as the team performed remarkably well until the final and Butler was at the forefront of the run charts, scoring tons almost at will. The Royals last won the title during the inaugural edition of 2008 and the latest comeback bodes well for Samson’s men. Another budding unit, Lucknow Super Giants also did well to book the last-four slot. Remaining on the course with the Titans and Giants allayed fears about a bloated league with 10 teams throwing forgettable cricket. Instead it was the established legends, former champions Mumbai Indians and defending champions Chennai Super Kings, who ditched the humble pie and reiterated the surprising factor in the game. India’s blue-chip batsmen – captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – had a frightening run, while the success of rookie pacer Umran Malik, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and veteran Dinesh Karthik, who delivered a stellar performance with a strike-rate of 183.33 revealed that Hope is an internal league. In a year that would witness the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the league was a selection-primer. But some concerns remain and they are focused on the commercial level of IPL. A drop in TRP indicates saturation with the event and the organizers need to find ways to get the viewership back. Plus, the league is here to stay with 10 teams to boot.