Gujarat Titans coach Gary Kirsten was naturally overjoyed after IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans lift the trophy by overcoming Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in front of a raucous home crowd of 1,04,859 on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat.
The Gujarat Titans (GT) were proclaimed winners of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, defeating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 7 wickets.
After a brilliant 7-wicket victory, Hardik Pandya led from the front with an all-round performance that propelled IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans as the champions.
Gujarat made a major statement in a tournament that lasted almost two months by being the most consistent team, leading the table, getting a direct ticket to the final, and eventually becoming IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans.
Gary Kirsten is Happy As IPL 2022 Winner Gujarat Titans Lift The Trophy
“It’s fantastic, really happy for the guys, they’ve put a lot into the tournament, great for Ashish (Nehra, head coach) and Vikram (Solanki, director of cricket) as well. You’re looking for good balance, good depth in the auction but most importantly you’re looking for players who can different roles, the one thing we’ve learnt with Ashish is finding guys who were versatile, and at 4, 5 and 6 – we’ve got that.”
Kirsten to broadcasters Star Sports after the match
Gujarat had a number of players that stepped up at different times to help the team win, which pleased Kirsten as IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans lift the trophy.
“We all got a lot of energy out of it, and we had a wonderful bowling attack – we had a bowler strong and a batter light through the finish, but we were always confident, just to keep the squad balanced. Sai Kishore joined the team as a left-arm spinner and performed admirably.”
Kirsten expressed his admiration for skipper Hardik Pandya when asked about his experience working with him.
“He’s been great, and I’ve enjoyed working with him. He’s a well-known athlete in India, but he’s also really modest, eager to improve as a leader and engage with his teammates, which I believe is crucial. He’s attempted to help the kids, and he’s stepped in and taken on a different role. As a coach, you never stop learning; every IPL is a new learning experience for me.”
Apart from Pandya, Kirsten relished the opportunity to reunite with Ashish Nehra, whom he met when playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2019. “I’ve enjoyed working with Ashish; he’s a great tactician, and putting together a gameplan on the fly is difficult. Each game has so many variables, but what I’ve appreciated the most is the responsibility players have taken to help us win games.”
Kirsten concluded by remarking on how odd it was that they won the trophy at their home stadium, where they began pre-season training in March. “It’s incredible that we won in our first season. We came out here pre-season to do some training and it was completely empty; you could hear an echo here, so it’s nice to return to a packed stadium.”
IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans lift the trophy, is only the first time that a new team has won the title in the same year they were inducted into the tournament after the inaugural session. 1xcricket wishes IPL 2022 winner Gujarat Titans on lifting the cup with their all round performance throughout the tournament.
Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 133/3 (Shubman Gill 45*, Hardik Pandya 34; Trent Boult 1-14) beat Rajasthan Royals 130/9 (Jos Buttler 39, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22; Hardik Pandya 3-17) by 7 wickets.
