IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya wants Gujarat Titans’ core intact for playoffs

Gujarat Titans defeated the Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday. Wriddhiman Saha stepped up for the Hardik Pandya-led team scoring a patient half-century. He was named the player of the match.

With the win, Gujarat, who are the only qualified team (for the playoffs) at the moment, maintain their standing at the top of the IPL 2022 points table. They have won 10 and lost three games. 

Also read: Watch: Sam Billings imitates Danny Morrison during interview with Andre Russell

The Chennai Super King, on the other hand, are ninth with four wins and nine losses. 

Against CSK, Saha scored 67 runs in 57 balls with the help of eight boundaries and one maximum. He added 59 runs in just 7.1 overs with Shubman Gill (18; 3×4) to lay the foundation of the 134-run chase. Matthew Wade scored 20 runs in 15 balls. 

Also read: Go well, Cheta: Samson’s message to KL Rahul ahead of top-four clash

Titans captain Hardik Pandya said that the core group of players will play in the final league phase fixture even though they have qualified for the play-offs.

“We’ll see if any player requires rest otherwise we need to keep the momentum. The core group needs to be intact. If fast bowlers need rest, we’ll rotate otherwise it’ll stay the same,” he said.

When asked about his captaincy, Pandya said, “I did alright because having played in the previous franchise where a lot of responsibility was given to the players.

Also read: IPL 2022: Why are CSK, GT players wearing black armbands?

“I have enjoyed responsibility and it has helped me. Doing what I have done in the past has helped.”

CSK skipper MS Dhoni on the other hand admitted that opting to bat first was not a  good idea. 

“Batting first wasn’t a very good idea. It was tough to hit the faster bowlers in the first half, spinners-wise it was similar,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.