News Analysis India

Tag: Gujarat Titans

  • David Miller Injury Update: GT Batter To Play Against RR? Here’s What We Know | cricket news

    Gujarat Titans’ (GT) designated finisher, David Miller, has been absent from their last two games, which resulted in defeats. The team’s left-arm Australian pacer, Spencer Johnson, revealed that Miller is likely to miss their upcoming match against Rajasthan Royals. In their recent matches, Gujarat Titans faced defeats against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. Miller’s absence was felt particularly in the latter stages of the game. Reportedly, Miller’s absence is due to a niggle, with indications suggesting he might be sidelined for at least two weeks. However, Johnson expressed optimism about Miller’s return, stating that even if he misses the next game, he should be available for the following one.

    Reflecting on Gujarat Titans’ performance, Johnson highlighted that despite their 2-3 win-loss record, it could have been 4-1 in their favor if they hadn’t lost some close encounters. He emphasized the team’s strength and resilience over the past few years.

    Looking ahead to their match against Rajasthan Royals, who have won all four of their games so far, Johnson admitted it would be a challenging task. However, he also emphasized the importance of securing a win for boosting confidence, especially with their next two games being at home.

    Johnson acknowledged the difficulty of playing at Rajasthan Royals’ home ground, where they have a perfect record so far in the tournament. Nevertheless, he expressed the team’s determination to overcome the challenge and secure crucial points.

    In summary, Gujarat Titans face the prospect of missing David Miller for their next game, but Spencer Johnson remains hopeful for his return. Despite recent defeats, Johnson believes in the team’s capabilities and aims to turn their fortunes around against Rajasthan Royals, acknowledging the significance of gaining momentum for their upcoming home fixtures.

    Gujarat Titans’ designated finisher, David Miller, has been absent from their last two games, which resulted in defeats. The team’s left-arm Australian pacer, Spencer Johnson, revealed that Miller is likely to miss their upcoming match against Rajasthan Royals.

    In their recent matches, Gujarat Titans faced defeats against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. Miller’s absence was felt particularly in the latter stages of the game.

    Reportedly, Miller’s absence is due to a niggle, with indications suggesting he might be sidelined for at least two weeks. However, Johnson expressed optimism about Miller’s return, stating that even if he misses the next game, he should be available for the following one.

    Reflecting on Gujarat Titans’ performance, Johnson highlighted that despite their 2-3 win-loss record, it could have been 4-1 in their favor if they hadn’t lost some close encounters. He emphasized the team’s strength and resilience over the past few years.

    Looking ahead to their match against Rajasthan Royals, who have won all four of their games so far, Johnson admitted it would be a challenging task. However, he also emphasized the importance of securing a win for boosting confidence, especially with their next two games being at home.

  • BCCI Makes 2 Changes In IPL 2024 Schedule; KKR Vs RR, GT Vs DC Matches Moved To New Dates | cricket news

    The BCCI has announced changes to the schedule of two Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 matches. Slated for April 17, 2024, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will now be held a day earlier on April 16, 2024. Additionally, the match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals, initially planned for April 16, 2024, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, will now take place on April 17, 2024.

    Also Read | Riyan Parag Reminds Me Of Suryakumar Yadav At MI, Says Shane Bond After RR Beat Mumbai In IPL 2024

    In the IPL release, there is no mention of the reason of the changes but it was earlier reported that it could be to do with the festival of Ram Navmi which falls on April 17. The festival is celebrated widely in Gujarat and West Bengal and it could be one of the reasons why BCCI made the changes as security arrangement could have been a big hassle for the cities of Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

    Check updated schedule of two matches here:

    S.No Day Date Match Venue 1 Tuesday April 16 KKR vs RR Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2 Wednesday

    April 17th

    GT vs DC Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad

    The league has already seen 14 games. Mumbai Indians find themselves in a spot of bother with three losses on the go. These include 2 defeats in away matches while MI also lost one match, to Rajasthan Royals, at home. Their captain Hardik Pandya also remains a target for Mumbai fans as they gave him a hostile reception on coming back to Wankhede in Mumbai jersey. MI are currently placed right at the bottom of the points table.

    On the top of the standings are RR, who have won all three matches played so far in the tournament. Second are KKR who have all 2 they have played so far. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) played 3 and won 2 with their only defeat so far coming against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Visakhapatnam.

    Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have a lot to catch up as well. RCB have blown hot and cold in the tournament so far, winning a tight game but losing two one-sided matches, against CSK and KKR.

  • ‘Bhai Mujhe Mat De Gande Reactions’, Mohammed Shami On Hardik Pandya Screaming Angrily On Him In IPL | cricket news

    In the first edition of Gujarat Titans (GT) in Indian Premier League, which was IPL 2022, captain Hardik Pandya lost his cool once on a senior member of the team. He was Mohammed Shami. The Indian pacer had not liked the reaction from his skipper and ensured that he spoke his mind to him but only after the match. Hardik was clearly upset after a ‘lousy’ attempt in the field and gave a mouthful to him.

    Also Read | India Vs South Africa 1st Test: Virat Kohli On Cusp Of Huge Milestone In Test Cricket, Can Break Rahul Dravid And Virender Sehwag’s Record

    In a podcast with Gaurav Kapur, Shami was asked about the same episode and the fast bowler did not mince his words and spoke his heart out. Shami said that when he saw Hardik lash out on him, he did not feel right.

    Shami said that he later told Hardik and the team management that he does not like being lashed out at by anyone on the field especially with the camera on every player.

    “Once Hardik had reacted aggressively towards me. At that time, I had told him ‘Bhai, there is a lot of responsibility. Management also came and it was my power. I am not a human being. I do not mean anything to anyone. I am still in the job. It means. I am important because of my actions. But I don’t want these dirty reactions on the screen. You say something, I say something, then the team environment gets affected. So that should not be created. After our day We didn’t react at all,” said Shami.


    Today, Shami and Hardik are teammates in India. They have already put the incident in the past. The cricketers have played enough cricket with and against each other to understand that respect is a big part of the game and that lack of it can never help a team.

    Incidentally, when Hardik injured himself during the Cricket World Cup 2023, he was replaced in the Indian playing 11 for the remaining matches by Shami, who went on to have a wonderful tournament with the ball. In IPL 2024, Shami will be bowling to Hardik, not just in the nets but in the matches as the GT captain has shifted base. Hardik was traded in to Mumbai Indians (MI) from GT in an all-cash deal. He will also be captaining MI in IPL 2024.

  • IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans Head Coach Ashish Nehra Breaks Silence On Hardik Pandya Leaving Franchise, Lists Reason Why Shubman Gill Was Named Captain

    GT coach Ashish Nehra feels Shubman Gill is the right man to lead Gujarat Titans after Hardik Pandya left for Mumbai Indians.

  • Fear of Unknown: CSK meets ‘CSK Lite’ as Dhoni faces ‘Gill Test’

    By PTI

    CHENNAI: The astute tactician in Mahendra Singh Dhoni will dig deep into his reserves to counter Indian cricket’s new ‘Crown Prince’ Shubman Gill as four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will meet their match in current title holders Gujarat Titans in Qualifier-1 of the IPL here on Tuesday.

    Gill, who almost single-handedly knocked out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore with a century for the keeps, has overshadowed Virat Kohli and will certainly force one of India’s greatest captains to go back to the drawing board and make plans for him.

    Gill is in the midst of a dream season and what will be Dhoni’s tactical ploy to stop the dashing ‘Mohali Marauder’ is there to be seen.

    This season, Gujarat Titans haven’t played at the Chepauk, which hasn’t behaved in a singular manner during CSK’s seven home games and that prompted head coach Stephen Fleming to raise apprehensions about what to expect.

    What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that GT is a team that seems closest to being a proto-type of what CSK had been all these years in IPL.

    A solid management and an administration team that stays in the background and never interferes in cricketing matters, which is left to the trio of Ashish Nehra, Gary Kirsten and Vikram Solanki.

    A captain, who swears that his understanding of leadership is cut from Dhoni’s ‘captaincy cloth’, and head coach Nehra, who just like his former teammate doesn’t believe in too many changes even if a couple of games go wrong.

    They don’t field players based on their auction worth — remember CSK bought Krishnappa Gowtham for nearly Rs 10 crore and he got a single game as he didn’t fit the combination.

    Similarly, GT has current India T20 pacer Shivam Mavi on its roster for a whopping Rs 6 crore but the team management has preferred veteran Mohit Sharma, who is executing the slower deliveries beautifully.

    It’s all about who fits what role. So, it becomes more interesting when two teams with similar philosophies are pitted against each other.

    The teams don’t make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfil but focus on immediate processes and know the roles of players required for slots.

    For Gujarat, tackling the slowness of the Chepauk track will be a challenge and how well they negotiate Deepak Chahar’s powerplay overs and Matheesha Pathirana’s slingers at the back-end, will determine the outcome of the match.

    And herein, Pandya and Nehra will find Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka’s inputs handy as he has handled both Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana for the national team.

    While Shanaka might be used more as an all-rounder, Titans depending on the toss can also try out left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who knows these conditions well.

    There is a chance that Irishman Joshua Little will be back in playing XI in place of Shanaka and Sai Kishore comes in place of Yash Dayal, who is yet to get back his confidence after the five sixes assault on him by his statemate Rinku Singh.

    For CSK, a good start by the crack pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be important.

    But at the Chepauk, even Ajinkya Rahane could become a factor while Shivam Dube would love to add to his 33 sixes for the season.

    Conway and Gaikwad have provided brisk and substantial starts for CSK, but the middle order hasn’t exactly got going.

    With GT bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan (24 wickets each so far) things won’t be easy for the home team’s batters, Conway and Gaikwad included.

    How the CSK opening duo handles the relentless Shami may prove vital and it would be important for the underperforming middle order to step up in a crunch game.

    The pitches at Chepauk so far have been a bit up and down, with a few being slow in nature while some have been good to bat on.

    CSK head coach Fleming said as much after the win over Delhi Capitals, claiming that the team is unsure about the conditions (at home).

    If a sluggish pitch is rolled out for the match, the spinners in the two teams would have a huge part to play.

    If CSK has Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Theekshana, the Titans boast of a line-up that includes Rashid and Noor Ahmad.

    Teams (from):

    Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c/wk), Akash Singh, Moeen Ali, Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana.

    Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R.

    Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma.

    Match starts at 7.30 PM.

    CHENNAI: The astute tactician in Mahendra Singh Dhoni will dig deep into his reserves to counter Indian cricket’s new ‘Crown Prince’ Shubman Gill as four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will meet their match in current title holders Gujarat Titans in Qualifier-1 of the IPL here on Tuesday.

    Gill, who almost single-handedly knocked out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore with a century for the keeps, has overshadowed Virat Kohli and will certainly force one of India’s greatest captains to go back to the drawing board and make plans for him.

    Gill is in the midst of a dream season and what will be Dhoni’s tactical ploy to stop the dashing ‘Mohali Marauder’ is there to be seen.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    This season, Gujarat Titans haven’t played at the Chepauk, which hasn’t behaved in a singular manner during CSK’s seven home games and that prompted head coach Stephen Fleming to raise apprehensions about what to expect.

    What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that GT is a team that seems closest to being a proto-type of what CSK had been all these years in IPL.

    A solid management and an administration team that stays in the background and never interferes in cricketing matters, which is left to the trio of Ashish Nehra, Gary Kirsten and Vikram Solanki.

    A captain, who swears that his understanding of leadership is cut from Dhoni’s ‘captaincy cloth’, and head coach Nehra, who just like his former teammate doesn’t believe in too many changes even if a couple of games go wrong.

    They don’t field players based on their auction worth — remember CSK bought Krishnappa Gowtham for nearly Rs 10 crore and he got a single game as he didn’t fit the combination.

    Similarly, GT has current India T20 pacer Shivam Mavi on its roster for a whopping Rs 6 crore but the team management has preferred veteran Mohit Sharma, who is executing the slower deliveries beautifully.

    It’s all about who fits what role. So, it becomes more interesting when two teams with similar philosophies are pitted against each other.

    The teams don’t make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfil but focus on immediate processes and know the roles of players required for slots.

    For Gujarat, tackling the slowness of the Chepauk track will be a challenge and how well they negotiate Deepak Chahar’s powerplay overs and Matheesha Pathirana’s slingers at the back-end, will determine the outcome of the match.

    And herein, Pandya and Nehra will find Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka’s inputs handy as he has handled both Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana for the national team.

    While Shanaka might be used more as an all-rounder, Titans depending on the toss can also try out left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who knows these conditions well.

    There is a chance that Irishman Joshua Little will be back in playing XI in place of Shanaka and Sai Kishore comes in place of Yash Dayal, who is yet to get back his confidence after the five sixes assault on him by his statemate Rinku Singh.

    For CSK, a good start by the crack pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be important.

    But at the Chepauk, even Ajinkya Rahane could become a factor while Shivam Dube would love to add to his 33 sixes for the season.

    Conway and Gaikwad have provided brisk and substantial starts for CSK, but the middle order hasn’t exactly got going.

    With GT bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan (24 wickets each so far) things won’t be easy for the home team’s batters, Conway and Gaikwad included.

    How the CSK opening duo handles the relentless Shami may prove vital and it would be important for the underperforming middle order to step up in a crunch game.

    The pitches at Chepauk so far have been a bit up and down, with a few being slow in nature while some have been good to bat on.

    CSK head coach Fleming said as much after the win over Delhi Capitals, claiming that the team is unsure about the conditions (at home).

    If a sluggish pitch is rolled out for the match, the spinners in the two teams would have a huge part to play.

    If CSK has Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Theekshana, the Titans boast of a line-up that includes Rashid and Noor Ahmad.

    Teams (from):

    Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c/wk), Akash Singh, Moeen Ali, Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana.

    Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R.

    Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma.

    Match starts at 7.30 PM.

  • Clarity in roles and continuity help Gujarat Titans scale the peak

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Up until 7 pm on the second day of the auction, Gujarat Titans did not have a single wicket-keeper and they were also searching for an overseas batter. After all, they had spent the bulk of their money on the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rahul Tewatia, and Lockie Ferguson. In pursuit of salvaging their day and to put up a basic playing XI, they bagged David Miller, Wriddiman Saha and Matthew Wade in the final hour.

    Their squad looked like the one with a lot of raw ingredients on paper, without a proven recipe that could make it work. That Jason Roy, their first-choice overseas opener, pulled out weeks before the tournament didn’t help either. With their squad, and the support staff that included Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra — whose record as coaches in IPL isn’t great — meant that memes and jokes were made off them on social media.

    But as their first few games passed by, Titans showed that they did have the recipe. With perfect roles that were specified for every individual, they were able to outplay their opponents. More importantly, they were getting on the right side of the close games early on, with one player or the other stepping up for them — Tewatia against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, Miller versus Chennai Super Kings. With momentum on their side, Titans put up one of most dominating performances in the IPL to clinch the title on their maiden appearance as they overpowered Rajasthan Royals in their home ground on Sunday.

    So, what brought out the best in those players irrespective of the situations? After Titans qualified for the final, Miller said it was the unconditional backing from the team management with a long rope in a specified role that helped him. “It’s been enjoyable that I am not in and out and I’ve managed to build something and keep my confidence going,” he had said.

    And it wasn’t the regular platitudes that we often hear from players when a team is winning. Titans were putting those words into action. For example, Tewatia, essentially a bowling all-rounder, played a role of a specialised batter in the lower-order where he just have to come out all guns blazing from ball one. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it worked more often than not as Tewatia won matches for them with the bat while bowling a total of only six overs in 16 matches.

    Saha was given the licence to go after every bowler in the powerplay when the ‘Wade experiment’ didn’t work. If Shami was their go-to wicket-taking option with the new ball, Rashid Khan’s four overs meant that teams were often playing a 16-over contest against the Titans. Talk about the benefits of quality bowling attack in the format.

    Then there was their skipper Hardik Pandya, the gel that was holding the side together. Throughout the tournament, he batted at No 4 or No 3, something that he hardly got to do in Mumbai Indians, anchored when needed before unleashing his stroke play in the end. With the ball too, he was chipping in here and there, leading his side from the front. “If I want my team to function in a certain way, I need to be the first flag-bearer to show them the way. So it makes more sense if I do it first,” he said after winning the title.

    So, how could one sum up the Titans’ success recipe? It was probably as simple as backing a bunch of talented players to the hilt with a fluid approach while playing the format the way its supposed to be. 

  • Clarity in roles and continuity help Gujarat Titans scale the peak

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Up until 7 pm on the second day of the auction, Gujarat Titans did not have a single wicket-keeper and they were also searching for an overseas batter. After all, they had spent the bulk of their money on the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rahul Tewatia, and Lockie Ferguson. In pursuit of salvaging their day and to put up a basic playing XI, they bagged David Miller, Wriddiman Saha and Matthew Wade in the final hour.

    Their squad looked like the one with a lot of raw ingredients on paper, without a proven recipe that could make it work. That Jason Roy, their first-choice overseas opener, pulled out weeks before the tournament didn’t help either. With their squad, and the support staff that included Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra — whose record as coaches in IPL isn’t great — meant that memes and jokes were made off them on social media.

    But as their first few games passed by, Titans showed that they did have the recipe. With perfect roles that were specified for every individual, they were able to outplay their opponents. More importantly, they were getting on the right side of the close games early on, with one player or the other stepping up for them — Tewatia against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, Miller versus Chennai Super Kings. With momentum on their side, Titans put up one of most dominating performances in the IPL to clinch the title on their maiden appearance as they overpowered Rajasthan Royals in their home ground on Sunday.

    So, what brought out the best in those players irrespective of the situations? After Titans qualified for the final, Miller said it was the unconditional backing from the team management with a long rope in a specified role that helped him. “It’s been enjoyable that I am not in and out and I’ve managed to build something and keep my confidence going,” he had said.

    And it wasn’t the regular platitudes that we often hear from players when a team is winning. Titans were putting those words into action. For example, Tewatia, essentially a bowling all-rounder, played a role of a specialised batter in the lower-order where he just have to come out all guns blazing from ball one. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it worked more often than not as Tewatia won matches for them with the bat while bowling a total of only six overs in 16 matches.

    Saha was given the licence to go after every bowler in the powerplay when the ‘Wade experiment’ didn’t work. If Shami was their go-to wicket-taking option with the new ball, Rashid Khan’s four overs meant that teams were often playing a 16-over contest against the Titans. Talk about the benefits of quality bowling attack in the format.

    Then there was their skipper Hardik Pandya, the gel that was holding the side together. Throughout the tournament, he batted at No 4 or No 3, something that he hardly got to do in Mumbai Indians, anchored when needed before unleashing his stroke play in the end. With the ball too, he was chipping in here and there, leading his side from the front. “If I want my team to function in a certain way, I need to be the first flag-bearer to show them the way. So it makes more sense if I do it first,” he said after winning the title.

    So, how could one sum up the Titans’ success recipe? It was probably as simple as backing a bunch of talented players to the hilt with a fluid approach while playing the format the way its supposed to be. 

    CHENNAI: Up until 7 pm on the second day of the auction, Gujarat Titans did not have a single wicket-keeper and they were also searching for an overseas batter. After all, they had spent the bulk of their money on the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rahul Tewatia, and Lockie Ferguson. In pursuit of salvaging their day and to put up a basic playing XI, they bagged David Miller, Wriddiman Saha and Matthew Wade in the final hour.

    Their squad looked like the one with a lot of raw ingredients on paper, without a proven recipe that could make it work. That Jason Roy, their first-choice overseas opener, pulled out weeks before the tournament didn’t help either. With their squad, and the support staff that included Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra — whose record as coaches in IPL isn’t great — meant that memes and jokes were made off them on social media.

    But as their first few games passed by, Titans showed that they did have the recipe. With perfect roles that were specified for every individual, they were able to outplay their opponents. More importantly, they were getting on the right side of the close games early on, with one player or the other stepping up for them — Tewatia against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, Miller versus Chennai Super Kings. With momentum on their side, Titans put up one of most dominating performances in the IPL to clinch the title on their maiden appearance as they overpowered Rajasthan Royals in their home ground on Sunday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    So, what brought out the best in those players irrespective of the situations? After Titans qualified for the final, Miller said it was the unconditional backing from the team management with a long rope in a specified role that helped him. “It’s been enjoyable that I am not in and out and I’ve managed to build something and keep my confidence going,” he had said.

    And it wasn’t the regular platitudes that we often hear from players when a team is winning. Titans were putting those words into action. For example, Tewatia, essentially a bowling all-rounder, played a role of a specialised batter in the lower-order where he just have to come out all guns blazing from ball one. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it worked more often than not as Tewatia won matches for them with the bat while bowling a total of only six overs in 16 matches.

    Saha was given the licence to go after every bowler in the powerplay when the ‘Wade experiment’ didn’t work. If Shami was their go-to wicket-taking option with the new ball, Rashid Khan’s four overs meant that teams were often playing a 16-over contest against the Titans. Talk about the benefits of quality bowling attack in the format.

    Then there was their skipper Hardik Pandya, the gel that was holding the side together. Throughout the tournament, he batted at No 4 or No 3, something that he hardly got to do in Mumbai Indians, anchored when needed before unleashing his stroke play in the end. With the ball too, he was chipping in here and there, leading his side from the front. “If I want my team to function in a certain way, I need to be the first flag-bearer to show them the way. So it makes more sense if I do it first,” he said after winning the title.

    So, how could one sum up the Titans’ success recipe? It was probably as simple as backing a bunch of talented players to the hilt with a fluid approach while playing the format the way its supposed to be. 

  • Gujarat Titans win IPL title in maiden season, beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Nobody gave them a chance but Gujarat Titans, bucking all pre-tournament predictions, surprised everyone by lifting the Indian Premier League title in a dream maiden season after a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final here on Sunday.

    Gujarat’s highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya (3/17) himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine after losing the toss.

    Shubman Gill and David Miller remained unbeaten on 45 and 32, respectively, to complete an emphatic win for their team.

    It should have been a comfortable chase but Rajasthan bowled their hearts out to make it an interesting final.

    As they showed all season, Gujarat remained calm in tough situations to finish the chase in 18.1 overs.

    Not many gave Gujarat a chance in their first season especially after a mixed auction where they waited till the end to secure the services of wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade.

    It was not a team studded with star players but Hardik impressed with his leadership and got the best out of his colleagues.

    His performance with bat and ball also contributed immensely to the team’s triumph besides the ability to bounce back from any situation through the brilliance of Miller and Rahul Tewatia.

    After posting an underwhelming total, Rajasthan had to produce a special effort with the ball to get back in the game.

    The pace duo of Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna were brilliant in the powerplay, reducing Gujarat to 31 for two with Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Matthew Wade (8) back in the dugout.

    Krishna got one to seam back in from good length to breach Saha’s defence and crash into the stumps.

    Boult, who also bowled a maiden over in his tidy spell, removed Wade.

    Gujarat would have been three down in the powerplay if Yuzvendra Chahal held on to a simple catch of Gill off Boult in the first over of the innings.

    Hardik and Gill struggled to get the boundaries but never felt extreme pressure as the asking rate remained very much in control.

    R Ashwin was introduced in the 12th over and Hardik (34 off 30) decided to go after him, collecting a four and six off successive balls to bring up the 50-run stand with Gill and take Gujarat to 77 for two in 12 overs.

    The skipper fell to a brilliant leg break from Chahal but Gill and Miller got the job done in the end.

    The entire stadium, housing more than a lakh people, erupted when Gill hit the winning six.

    Earlier, Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.

    Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing well that both the Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashid as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    Brief Scores:

    Rajasthan Royals: 130/9 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 39; Rashid Khan 1/18, Hardik Pandya 3/17).

    Gujarat Titans: 133/3 in 18.1 overs (Hardik Pandya 34, Shubman Gill 45 not out)

  • Hardik Pandya shines with ball as Gujarat Titans limit Rajasthan Royals to 130/9 in IPL final

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans’ highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals batting unit to 130 for nine in the Indian Premier League final here on Sunday.

    Hardik (3/17) struck thrice in his four overs while Rashid Khan (1/18) delivered yet again on the big stage to put their team on course for a title in its debut season.

    Rajasthan did not have the best of starts after skipper Sanju Samson decided to put runs on the board in a big final.

    With more than a lakh supporting the home team, Gujarat bowlers were able to maintain the pressure on the opposition though Jos Buttler (39 of 35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 off 16) tried their best to break free.

    Jaiswal, who looked tentative against the pace and swing of Mohammad Shami, took more chances compared to Buttler at the start of the innings.

    Among the shots Jaiswal attempted, his most assuring stroke was a beautifully timed six over cover off Shami.

    After pulling Yash Dayal for a massive six over long leg, the southpaw tried one too many and was caught in the deep.

    The extra bounce induced the mishit.

    Buttler, who began his innings with a crisp square cut, was joined by Samson (14 off 11) in the middle.

    Knowing both Rajasthan right-handers struggle against Rashid Khan, Hardik brought the star spinner into the attack in the powerplay itself.

    Both Buttler and Samson chose to play safe against Rashidh as Rajasthan reached 44 for one in the powerplay.

    The in-form Buttler decided to force the issue as he drove Lockie Ferguson over the cover fielder before cutting him for successive boundaries.

    The New Zealander was generating serious pace and went on to clock 157.3 kmph, the fastest ball of the tournament.

    Samson did not last long as his opposite number Hardik removed him on his second ball of the game.

    Hardik hit the hard length and Samson went for the pull shot only to be caught on the off-side, leaving Rajasthan at 60 for two in 8.2 overs.

    Rajasthan’s struggles worsened when Devdutt Padikkal (2), who took eight balls to get off the mark, and Buttler departed in a space of three balls.

    Rashid ended the painful stay of Padikkal before Hardik got the massive wicket of Buttler.

    The Englishman attempted to steer one to third man but ended up edging it back to the wicketkeeper.

    At the other end, new batter Shimron Hetmyer had to answer to the guile of Rashid, who was getting his googlies to rip.

    With Rajasthan going at run a ball after 14 overs, big hits were the need of the hour.

    However, Hardik made it 94 for five by having the dangerous Hetmyer caught and bowled.

    R Ashwin perished in the following over, ending all hopes of a Rajasthan fight back.

    PTI Shami ended the innings in style by castling Riyan Parag’s stumps with a perfectly placed yorker.