IPL 2022: 5 surprising moves that paid off for Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans have surprised one and all by qualifying for the final in their maiden appearance in the Indian Premier League. Before the auction, the Gujarat-based franchise ensured the services of Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan. Hardik was also named the captain of the franchise leading up to the tournament. Gujarat started the tournament in style by winning back-to-back matches and continued the momentum throughout the season. They became the first team to qualify for the playoffs by winning 10 matches out of 14 with 20 points. Hardik Pandya led his troops to the final also by defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1. The partnership of captain Hardik Pandya and head coach Ashish Nehra has worked wonders till now as players have heaped praises on the management. During the tournament, GT found itself in many crunchy situations. However, several players like David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and R Sai Kishore came up with some great performances to help GT in crossing the final lines. The GT management took some surprising decisions that paid off for them and that’s why they are now, on the verge of winning this trophy in their maiden IPL season. Here are the five surprising moves that paid for GT: 1. Hardik Pandya batting at no. 4 Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) After spending so many years with Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya finally moved to Gujarat Titans as the captain of the franchise. All eyes were on him as he was coming back from an injury setback. Pandya is known as a finisher over the years, batting lower down the order. However, this time, he settled himself at no. 4 as he looked to anchor the innings more rather than just finishing. In 14 innings so far, he has scored 453 runs at an average of 45.3 and a strike rate of 132.84. His captaincy skills were also praised by the cricket fraternity as he handled pressure situations with much more stability. Once in the tournament, he was also in the race for the Orange Cap. But, the second half did not go as per his wish and that ruled out him from that contest. He also picked up five wickets in nine innings with an economy of 7.73. 2. Using Rashid Khan as a designated all-rounder Rashid Khan (Photo Source: Twitter) Everyone was in shock when SRH decided to part ways with probably their best player in the last few seasons, Rashid Khan. Seeing the opportunity, GT grabbed him and used him as a designated all-rounder throughout the season. Rashid continued his magic with bowling once again this year as he bagged 18 wickets in 15 matches so far. His scalps came at an economy of 6.73 with a strike rate of 19.94. GT also used his batting abilities as he came up with some crucial cameos in different situations. He scored 91 runs in eight innings but with a strike rate of 206.81. His partnership with Rahul Tewatia was the talk of the town against his former side, SRH as the duo pulled off a high-scoring chase in the last over of the match. 3. Using Wriddhiman Saha as an Opener Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Initially, GT went with the pair of Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill as openers but coming to the business end, the team used Wriddhiman Saha’s experience at the top. They had the option of including Rahmanullah Gurbaz as he is known for his explosive batting in this shortest format of the game. But, Saha proved them right as the batter scored 312 runs in 10 matches. He bagged those runs at an average of 34.67 and a strike rate of 123.8. This also includes three 50+ scores as his best score of 68 runs came against SRH from 38 balls. The inclusion of the Indian wicketkeeper was a surprise choice. But, it paid off effectively for them as Saha managed to provide them with the much-needed foundation in the powerplay overs. It also helped their middle-order batters to flourish thereafter. 4. Inclusion of R Sai Kishore into the playing XI R Sai Kishore. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore was an exciting pick when GT brought him for INR 3 crore in the mega auction. This 25-year-old left-arm spinner had some great domestic seasons in recent years and is known for his economical bowling. Gujarat included this spinner in the playing XI at the business end of the season. In four matches he has played so far, Kishore picked up four crucial wickets at an economy of 7.21. Along with his bowling, his good fielding skills also helped Gujarat. His best figure of 2/7 came against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in his debut match. GT’s move of including this player into the playing XI helped them to gain a variety in their bowling lineup. Sai Kishore will look to help Gujarat in the upcoming final on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals to win this prestigious trophy on their first try. 5. Providing opportunities to Yash Dayal over Varun Aaron Yash Dayal. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Gujarat banked on another uncapped young prospect of India, Yash Dayal as his left-arm fast-medium bowling added some extra venom to their lineup. After Varun Aaron failed to impress in the first few games, GT opted for Dayal and the youngster didn’t miss out on the opportunity. He picked up 10 wickets in the eight matches he played at an economy of 9.58. Though his economy was a bit high, he came up with some crucial wickets in crunchy situations. His best performance came against RR in his debut match when he bagged three wickets by conceding 40 runs in four overs. Like Sai Kishore, Yash Dayal has also provided a variety in GT’s bowling attack and he came up with a surprise package for all the opponents. His pace and bowling style impressed several experts as he is tipped to get an opportunity to play for India in the coming days.

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IPL 2022: 5 surprising moves that paid off for Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans are the first team to reach the IPL final after defeating RR in Qualifier 1 at Eden Gardens.

2. Using Rashid Khan as a designated all-rounder

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