The Gujarat Titans won an IPL title in their debut season. Led by skipper Hardik Pandya’s efforts, the team managed to beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday. 

Several factors including a strong core and lethal bowling attack helped Gujarat’s case in IPL 2022. A batting order with Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha at the top, Pandya coming in at No 4 and the likes of David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan in the middle ensured that the Titans chased down steep targets with ease. 

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Not once the team was bowled out in the 16 matches they played this season and No 11 batter Mohammed Shami didn’t face a ball. The pacer has scoried quick runs by hitting boundaries in the past. He has a half-century in Tests and has made 161 runs in 38 ODI innings. 

In IPL 2022, Gujarat Titans did not rely on one player for a huge chunk of runs. Hardik Pandya topped their charts with 487 runs in 15 games. Shubman Gill (483) and David Miller (481) were the other players who scored more than 450 runs. Wriddhiman Saha had 317 runs in 11 games at 31.70. 

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Skipper Pandya, meanwhile, made his case for future India captaincy. GT topped the league phase and then defeated Rajasthan in the Qualifier 1 and final. 

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Ahead of IPL 2022, Pandya’s fitness was in doubt. He had last played for India in the T20 World Cup last year. The all-rounder was not bowling at all. However, he stepped up and took up the team’s responsibility at No 4 and also picked eight wickets, including a match-winning 3/17 in the final. 

Mohammed Shami finished as Gujarat Titans’ highest wicket-taker. He had 20 scalps against his name in 16 games. The pacer bowled at an average of 24.40 and economy rate of 8.00 rpo.