IPL 2022: To win championship in first year is really special – Hardik Pandya

When the IPL 2022 mega auction was done and dusted, not many cricket experts were putting their money on newcomers Gujarat Titans to go all the way in the tournament.

Many thought they will lack the experience as they will be playing in the high-pressure IPL for the first time and they didn’t have a potent batting unit.

However, Hardik Pandya and Co. proved everyone wrong when they lifted the coveted IPL trophy by beating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at their home ground of Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Pandya, as he did throughout the season, once again lead from the front as he returned with impressive figures of 3-17 and also went on to score a crucial knock of 34 runs in the run-chase of 131. The all-rounder accounted for Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer.

Pandya revealed he wanted to save his best bowling performance for the best in the all-important final. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans came up with a collective effort throughout the season and they all could be very proud of their brilliant renditions.

Hardik Pandya was awarded the Player of the Match for his fine performance with both bat as well as the ball. Pandya feels wonders can happen if one plays as a team.

Pandya said in the post-match presentation, “This is the right example for any team in the world. If you can play as a team and build a good unit with genuine people around, wonders can happen. I and Ashu pa, we like to play proper bowlers. Batters can obviously chip in, but most of the time I have seen in T20 cricket – it’s a batter’s game but bowlers win you games. A lot of times we won the games as well, but we always spoke about what are the things we missed out and how we can get better from here. Everyone chipped in. Count myself lucky winning 5 finals, it’s been exciting. This is going to be a special one. We spoke about creating a legacy. Generation to come, everyone will remember this was the team who started this journey and to win the championship first year is very special.”

Pandya added, “Wanted to show at the right time what I’ve worked hard for. Today was the day from the bowling point of view I saved the best for the best. Second ball of my spell when I got Sanju out, saw that if you hit the wicket hard and hit the seam something is gonna happen. All about sticking to the right lengths, asking the batters to play the right shots. For me my team is the most important. I’ve always been that kind of individual. If I were to have a worse season and my team wins, I’ll take that. Batting comes first to me, always going to be close to my heart. When we got the auction done it was clear I had to bat higher to guide.”

Hardik Pandya was able to lead from the front throughout the season and he played a key role in the success of the team. Furthermore, Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Rashid Khan, and Mohammed Shami were instrumental in the success of the team.