IPL 2022, GT vs RR: Ahmedabad all set to host the summit clash

A change in mindset while facing spinners has played a big part in his success in the ongoing Indian Premier League, believes Gujarat Titans batter David Miller. Miller has been the second highest run-scorer for GT with 449 runs from 15 matches, with an unbeaten 94 being his highest score. Skipper Hardik Pandya leads the chart with 453 runs from 14 games.

The Rajasthan Royals fairytale of the inaugural IPL season, the one that the Class of 2022 looks to emulate at Ahmedabad today, almost didn’t happen. Days before the start of the 2008 season, Shane Warne had threatened a walk out over squad selection differences with owner Manoj Badale. (Read More)

Both Hasaranga and Chahal are tied with 26 wickets but the Sri Lankan is ahead because of his better economy. Will Yuzvendra Chahal pip Wanindu Hasaranga for the race of Purple Cap? Read More

Jos Buttler is at the top of the 2022 IPL’s run-scoring charts with 824 runs so far. He is followed by KL Rahul, Quinton De Kock, Faf Du Plessis and Shikhar Dhawan. Read More

“Very happy, very, very satisfying… must say that this has been probably my most special comeback, because a lot of people had given up on me,” Karthik said in a video posted by RCB on their Twitter handle. “For me to come back and do what I did, practise the way I did with my coach (Abhishek) Nayar, things that have happened in the lead-up to the auction, and how I practised post that… a lot of credit also to (RCB head coach) Sanjay Bangar and (RCB director of cricket operations) Mike Hesson, I think the clarity that they gave me to execute the role that I wanted to do, in many ways (I’m) indebted to RCB for picking me and giving me that role, believing in me and then me coming out here and trying to do my best for this team RCB. All in all, a very happy feeling… I am very excited overall.” Read More

The trophy shelf in Rinku Singh’s room is out of space. The latest addition to the collection is his Man of the Match award for an enterprising cameo against Rajasthan Royals. “It was my first Man of the Match award, so it is special,” the Kolkata Knight Riders’ batter says. There’s another trophy that dates back a decade and is very dear to him. He took home a figurine of a cricketer for being Man of the Series during a ‘School T20 World Cup’ held in his hometown Aligarh. Rinku was also given the keys to a motorcycle by the organisers of the tournament. The two-wheeler was a blessing for Rinku. “That was the day my father stopped caning me for playing cricket. I used to get whacked everytime I returned from a match because my father thought I was wasting my time. The motorbike brought about a change of heart in him because he realised that I could actually play the game. Also we couldn’t even think of buying a motorbike back then because we could not afford it. So it was a big day for me and the family,” Rinku recalled. Read More

Royal Challengers Bangalore were 130 for 4 in 15.2 overs against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at Eden Gardens. Rajat Patidar had just mowed Ravi Bishnoi for six. The next ball, Patidar pulled again, straight to deep midwicket, where Deepak Hooda dropped a sitter. Patidar blew LSG away thereafter as he led RCB to 207. In Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium against Rajasthan Royals, RCB were 130 for 3 in 15.2 overs, with Patidar in flow again. He even picked the wide carom ball from Ravichandran Ashwin and bashed it flat to long-off, where Jos Buttler, on the very edge of the boundary, held on to a much harder chance than Hooda had spilled. RR forced open this window of opportunity so firmly they blew RCB out the door; instead of the 77 runs that LSG had leaked after dropping Patidar, RR gave away just 27 in the remainder of the RCB innings. Jos Buttler, equalling Virat Kohli’s season record with his fourth century of IPL 2022, lapped up the chase of 158 on a small outfield like a nice glass of buttermilk after a hearty Gujarati thali. Read More

Sanju Samson was a young kid when the Rajasthan Royals led by the late Shane Warne won their only title back in 2008. He tried to remember where he was when Shane Warne captained Royals to a memorable win. “I was playing an Under-16 final somewhere in Kerala when I saw Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir win it for Rajasthan Royals in 2008,” said Sanju on Friday after Rajasthan Royals reached their first IPL final since 2008. After a tough loss against Gujarat Titans, the Royals produced a flawless performance as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets to have a shot at a second IPL title. Read More

Gujarat Titans Predicted Playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammad Shami, Yash Dayal

Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Obed Mccoy, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna (Read More)

Two IPL knockout games and two contrasting innings from two openers. In the Eliminator, Lucknow Super Giants suffered from KL Rahul’s conservatism. In Qualifier 2, Rajasthan Royals thrived on Jos Buttler’s boldness. Going by the hard numbers, both Rahul and Buttler have been wonderfully successful in this IPL. The Super Giants captain scored 616 runs, including two centuries and four half-centuries, in 15 matches. The Royals talisman took his tally to a staggering 824 runs, including four hundreds and as many half-tons, after 16 games. But more often than not, like the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rahul sort of scored his own runs, while Buttler has been the impact-player for his team. Their respective strike rates, 135.38 vis-à-vis 151.47, are in sharp contrast. Read More

Away from the field, the social media teams of the 10 franchises were also involved in a battle to get the most hits. Namit Kumar puts together a list of 11 videos that capture the drama and emotions of the season full of ups and downs. WATCH

The Indian Premier League returned to India bigger, better and longer. It was the first time since 2011 when 10 teams were fighting it out for the crown jewel of Indian cricket. It was also the first time when just four venues hosted 70 league matches. There was a Covid scare, too, but the lucrative league managed to pull it off. The season brought its share of outstanding performances, new records and notable triumphs. Out of the many individuals that stood out, we’ve put together an XI of the season by batting position. Read More

Ranveer Singh to perform at the closing ceremony of the IPL final in Ahmedabad.

Jai jai garavi Gujarat [victory to proud Gujarat], the DJ exhorted an enthusiastically willing crowd to shout during the Qualifier 2 match of the IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. It is the name of the poem Narmadashankar Dave – considered to be the founder of modern Gujarati literature – wrote in 1873, and it is now the state’s anthem. That it should be referred to during an IPL game at all, and one not even involving the newly-minted local team at that, is a small insight into what is often called Gujarati asmita (pride). It may not be as assertive as, say, the Tamil or the Bengali identity, but there is an unmistakable undercurrent of a collective linguistic, cultural ethos in India’s westernmost state. When the Ahmedabad franchise was seeking a name for itself, it had to decide between picking between the city it was going to be based in, or the state in which its home city was situated. Market research was commissioned, and ultimately, Gujarat Titans went for a name that would resonate with all Gujaratis, not just Amdavadis. Read More

It may not have been the year in which the Indian Premier League title finally landed in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s cupboard, despite the call of ee saala cup namde going viral. But Rajasthan Royals, forever the butt of jokes about flattering briefly and deceiving unfailingly, have had a season that has naturally drawn comparisons with their title run in the inaugural IPL in 2008. Naturally, because there hasn’t been anything to compare in the years between 2008 and 2022. There was the briefest of sparks when they actually won the Eliminator in IPL 2013, only to go out in the Qualifier 2 to Mumbai Indians. The norm instead has been of RR having a neat little run of wins, usually early in the season, before predictably running out of steam at the business end. On a couple of occasions, they dragged themselves into the top-four, but were instantly chucked out in the Eliminator. Alternating between massive bets on stars that more often than not don’t come good, and ‘investing’ – an RR favourite buzzword – in unknown local talent, the franchise has done little more than make up the numbers for an overwhelming majority of its existence. Read More

Welcome to the live coverage of the IPL 2022 Final to be played between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals. Titans or Royals - Which team will take the trophy home?