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IPL 2022 review: Gujarat Titans win their first title

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Gujarat Titans won their first IPL title after beating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final.

Hardik Pandya led his side to the trophy in their inaugural season, becoming the seventh team to win the T20 competition.

Player of the tournament- Jos Buttler

Buttler had one of the most impressive campaigns this tournament has ever seen. He tied Virat Kohli’s record for the most centuries in a single season (4) as he scored 863 runs in his 17 innings, winning the orange cap in the process.

The Englishman’s most important ton came in the semi-finals against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They were set a total of 158 runs to win and Buttler ensured a spot in the finals for his side after bringing up his 100 off 59 deliveries, finishing on 106*.

The Royals fell just short in the finals as they looked to win their second IPL title, their first since 2008 when Shane Warne led the franchise to victory.

Buttler was named ‘Most Valuable Player’, ‘Gamechanger of the Season’, and ‘Powerplay of the season’ by the organiser. He also hit the most fours (83) and sixes (45) throughout the tournament.

Breakthrough player of the tournament- Umran Malik

After showing promising signs in his three-game cameo at the end of the 2021 campaign, Malik truly broke through as a young star this campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches with an economy rate and strike rate of 8.8 and 15.3 respectively.

His best figures came in a last-ball defeat against the Titans. In his four overs, Malik conceded just 25 runs and claimed all five wickets in the innings. The 22-year-old also picked up a four0wicket haul in the tournament as he looks to improve his game in the domestic campaign.

Despite finishing eighth in the table, Sunrisers will still be happy with the positives this season, such as the pace and talent of Malik.

The new teams

Along with the Gujarat Titans, the Lucknow Super Giants also made their debut this season. Both franchises had impressive seasons with the Titans and Super Giants finishing first and third respectively in the standings.

When the season started slowly, fans speculated whether the introductions of these new teams meant that the ‘star players’ being spread across ten teams lessened the excitement in each game. However, as the season progressed, it was clear this was not the case and that it was just an adjustment period for each team.

Having ten teams in the tournament also allowed players such as Malik to break through and gain more game-time and experience in a competitive environment.