Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans take on the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday. Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bat. 

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RR were going steady at 44/1 at the six-over mark. They lost young opener Yashaswi Jaiswal for 22 runs off 16 balls. Skipper Pandya came into the attack in the ninth over. Second ball into his spell, the star India all-rounder got rid of his Rajasthan counterpart Sanju Samson with hard length delivery. The 28-year-old then got orange cap holder Jos Buttler for 39. His third victim was Shimron Hetmyer. 

Pandya finished with figures of 3/17 in his four overs and the Rajasthan Royals were restricted to 130 runs in the first innings. 

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Hardik Pandya’s record in the final has been brilliant. He has played four IPL finales and has not lost one. All the GT captain’s final appearances came with the Mumbai Indians in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Rohit Sharma and co emerged victorious on all occassions. 

Going by his record and Gujarat’s bowling efforts in the first innings, the Ahmedabad-based side should be able to seal their maiden IPL title on Sunday. 

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RR’s 130 runs is the second-lowest first innings total in IPL finals history. The lowest in Mumbai’s 129 against the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017. 

Lowest totals batting first in IPL finals

129/8 MI vs RPS 2017 (Won)

130/9 RR vs GT 2022

143/6 Deccan vs RCB 2009 (Won)

148/9 MI vs CSK 2013 (Won)

149/8 MI vs CSK 2019 (Won)

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Teams:

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal