No match is a given. The pitch, the ball and fitness level of its team are all factors that shape the outcome. Even though the Titans were playing on home turf with overwhelming support, and a season track record far superior than the Royals, underdogs are known to oft beat the ruling favourites.
Titans led by Pandya lifted the IPL Season 15 Trophy, despite being a debutante team in the league. Credit goes to their coach, captain and players!!! Rajasthan Royals fought hard in the season but couldn’t maintain the momentum in the final. Well done Gujarat Titans! They ended league stages as table topper, won the Qualifier 1 and ultimately, ended up as the Champions!
With the first innings, it did seem that then Royals could lift the trophy. Never mind the successive fall of wickets but eventually putting forth a 130 tally meant chasing a run each for each ball for the Titans.
GT openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha out walk at the Motera Stadium. Trent Boult opens RR’s bowling attack . The psychological advantage that the Royals could have harnessed was unfortunately not availed of. A slight indied edge from Shubman Gill, ballooned to Yuzvendra Chahal but the latter drops it. The ball just popped out of his hands and Gill gets a life. Or maybe, Titans wrought that edge.
However, Saha got his first boundary on the eighth ball…. Only to be clean bowled by Trent in the second over. A short while later, the Guaynese Shimron Hetmyer again slipped and missed a potent catch: Saha. Had he picked up that wicket, it would have bolstered the pink and blue morale.
A maiden over later and Matthew Wade hammers into the stand. However, Wade is soon out in the fourth over. This dents the GT morale. But the incoming Hardik and Gill partnership click in the much-needed runs. Thereon, right till Pandya’s dismissal by Chahal in the 13.2 over, the Titans were at 86/3.
If Pandya set open the flood gates, the South African Miller just made sure that runs gushed in. Milller and Gill kept the pressure on the Royals and runs kept trickling in for the Titans.
Towards the end, the result was a given. Titans won by seven wickets and wound up the finale by a smashing six from Gill.
Final score: 133/3 (18.1)
