Ahmedabad: IPL 2022 has been the story of Gujarat Titans running all the way to winning the competition in their debut season. A victory made on the back of all-round contributions from everyone in the playing eleven throughout the tournament is also the first time many players became IPL champions.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who kept things tight with 1/18 in his four overs during the final against Rajasthan Royals Sunday, calls clinching the IPL 2022 trophy ‘a high point’ of his career.
“We assessed the wicket well; we knew it would be hard to chase down 150. Everyone had to take responsibility, we did well to come back well in the middle overs. He is the only guy whom we didn’t want to bowl to and I’m happy that he’s part of our team (on Shubman Gill).”
“Biggest achievement of your career is to be part of a winning IPL team. You always want to do well in big competitions like this. Winning tournaments like this, you’ll need to put in a lot of hard work and this is certainly a high point of my career,” said Rashid in a post-match chat with broadcasters Star Sports.
The same sentiment was echoed by Gill, who survived two dropped chances and finished off the innings to remain unbeaten at 45 off 43 balls. “It means a lot. After winning the under-19 World Cup, winning the IPL is just as big. It is my fourth year. I wanted to be there till the end and that was the talk with the coaches. Glad I took them over the line.”
Gujarat’s bowling attack reiterated why they were the best in the tournament when they restricted Rajasthan to a below-par 130/9, thanks to 3/17 from Hardik Pandya. “Our bowlers bowled really well to restrict them to 130. We wanted to keep them under 150 but fortunately it was much lesser,” added Gill.
David Miller, enjoying his most prolific IPL season, starred in the final with an unbeaten 32 off just 19 balls to make Gujarat champions. Reflecting on the season, Miller said, “It’s been a phenomenal journey, finishing it at the back end was a special feeling, but it has been a collective effort, everyone has stuck up their hand and performed well. Definitely my best season.”
“(Pandya) He’s been very relaxed; we’ve had a very good bond with Ashish (Nehra) and Hardik. He’s got better and better as the competition gone on, tactically he’s been brilliant. Just grown from strength to strength.”