Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

IPL Recap: When the New Kid on the Block Silenced Old Blokes

The new kid was heavily underestimated but it rose on the occasion and shut everyone

In any sport, a debutant player or team is always underestimated. After all, without prior experience, such players or teams are often looked down. Not to forget, not much is expected from them because they often take time to adjust. However, on some occasions, debutants shock the world with their miraculous debut performance. One such incident happened in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when a debutant team won the IPL trophy in its very first season.

In this IPL recap, we look back at the glory of Gujarat Titans, the new kid on the block who silenced the old blokes in its first season of the Indian Premier League.

Instant success

Along with Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans were making their IPL debut in the 2022 edition and most felt that both teams will take at least a couple of years to settle down and find their identity.

But it was to the surprise of many when after the halfway stage of IPL 2022 the two teams in fact were placed at the top two spots. While Lucknow did not have a great second half, Gujarat held on throughout the competition. They even went on to win the final without breaking a sweat.

Great start

The team started on a brilliant note, winning three back to back matches. The team registered a five wicket victory in the last over against Lucknow Super Giants in their very first match of the IPL.

The team then beat Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings by 14 runs and six wickets respectively. A blip came in the form of an eight wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their 4th match but the team was sensational thereafter, winning their next match against Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs and then overhauling Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in the last over.

Gujarat Titans then beat Kolkata Knight Riders by eight runs and registered another five wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 40th match of IPL 2022. A six wicket win against Bangalore was followed by back to back defeats against Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians by eight wickets and five runs respectively.

But GT won the next two games against Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings by 62 runs and seven wickets. They lost the 67th match of IPL 2022 against Royal Challengers Bangalore by eights wickets but come the playoffs and the team was back to their best once again.

Saving the best for the last

They beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in a close encounter in qualifier one. However, the final clash against the same opposition was a one sided as they got over the line by seven wickets with 11 balls remaining.

Gujarat Titans in fact won five games in the last over in IPL 2022 and that showed the belief and the composure of the side which was led beautifully by Hardkid Pandya, with notable contributions from Rashid Khan, David Miller, Mohammed Shami and Rahul Tewatia.

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