As we see the Tata Indian Premier League IPL 2022 reaching its final stage, the fans are geared up for some scintillating action to come. It’s evident that not only Indians but people across the world are crazy about this tournament. It’s been a heck of a journey for all the top teams as they saw and experienced a roller coaster ride to reach the top.
After the last league match on May 22, the playoff action will shift to the city of joy, Kolkata, and to the Manchester of the East, Ahmedabad. The teams which made it to the top four will be vying for the Tata IPL trophy 2022 with all their brains and brawn. Gujarat Titans hold the top position with an impressive 20 points to their name.
Rajasthan Royals are at the second spot with 18 points. These two giants will be head to head facing each other in the first qualifier to be played on 24 May at the majestic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both the teams have delivered exceptional performances and are the strongest contenders for the trophy. We will have to wait and see who emerges as a better team and who has got stronger nerves to handle a high-pressure competition.
It was saddening for the Delhi Capitals who missed to book the fourth spot for themselves and failed to make it to the playoffs. While the Royal Challengers Bangalore would be grateful to Rishabh Pant, captain of Delhi Capitals for not reviewing Tim David’s caught behind the wickets. Eventually, Tim took the game away from Delhi Capitals smashing 34 off just 11 deliveries striking at 340.
All this makes IPL exciting and enthralling for the viewers. The Royal Challengers will be facing the Lucknow Supergiants in the eliminator at the Eden Gardens. They would be desperately looking to get their hands on their first IPL trophy and get through to the second qualifier. On the other hand, Lucknow Super Giants would indubitably be eyeing a win in the eliminator and making their way to the qualifier. Though, only one would get lucky in the endeavor.
Meanwhile, both the new teams of Tata IPL 2022 have surprised everyone by grabbing the top two spots in the table. The culmination of the tournament has begun and it’s all about holding the nerves now. The road to the final isn’t a bed of roses for these contenders but you never can predict what will happen in a game of cricket.
IPL has certainly revolutionized the gentleman’s game over the years. We see so many amazing talents being discovered and making their way to the international platform.
And as we know, the excitement and fun for the fans never end throughout the tournament.
The Road to the Final
As the Gujarat Titans played their first match of the playoffs and beat the Rajasthan Royals they secured their place in the finals. The Rajasthan Royals Batting first set up a total of 188/6 in 20 overs. In return, the Gujarat Titans chased it down emphatically in 19.3 overs with three balls to spare.
The other match that was played between the Royal Challenger Bangalore and Lucknow Supergiants was the eliminator and RCB set up a massive total of 207/4 in their 20 overs. In return, the Lucknow Supergiants only managed to score 193/6 in their 20 overs. RCB won the match by 14 runs and the LSG were eliminated from the tournament.
Then the second qualifier was played between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bangalore set up a target of 157/8 in 20 overs. In return, Rajasthan Royals chased it down easily with Joss Buttler smashing his fourth century of the season.
Now was the time for the biggest match of the IPL 2022 i.e. the Final. The tournament concluded with Gujarat Titans winning their first IPL trophy beating Rajasthan Royals in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in their first-ever IPL season.
Total Prize Money
The Gujarat Titans got a check of 20 crores as they are the Champions of IPL 2022. The first runner-up is Rajasthan Royals, who got 12.50 crores to check. The Royal Challengers Bangalore was defeated by the Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier and got a check of 7 crores. Likewise, the Lucknow Supergiants finishing in the fourth spot were given a check of 6.5 crores to their name.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans won their maiden IPL trophy as they restricted the Rajasthan Royals to a low score of just 130 in their 20 overs. The highest run-scorer of the tournament Joss Buttler got out for 39 on 35 balls to Hardik Pandya. Bowling beautifully Hardik finished with 3/17 in his four overs. The other impactful performance to mention was by Rashid Khan who just gave 18 runs and took a wicket in his four overs.
While chasing the total of 130 GT lost two early wickets but eventually chased the target quite comfortably with 11 more balls to spare.
Top Performers
Hardik Pandya was declared the player of the match for his brilliant bowling spell and captaincy. On the other hand, Joss Buttler finished as the top scorer in the tournament. The England wicketkeeper-batsman hammered 863 runs in 17 innings with a strike rate of 149.05 and averaging 57.53. He is also the winner of the orange cap.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the highest wicket-taker and the winner of the Purple Cap with 27 wickets in 17 matches averaging 19.51. His economy was recorded at under 8 runs per over.
Lockie Fergusson delivered the fastest IPL 2022 ball that clicked at 157.3 kph. Joss Buttler also won the most valuable player of the season of IPL2022.
The triumphant Hardik Pandya after winning the trophy said, “Everyone will remember this was the team who started this journey, and to win the championship in the first year is very special.”
